Iran Protests: The Young and the Jobless

1. One key reason behind the recent protests is that Iran’s population of 81 million needs more jobs – especially for younger workers.

2. The country’s median age is just 30.3 years. (Half the population was born in 1987 or more recently).

3. Overall unemployment is 12.7%. However, youth unemployment at the start of 2018 may be as high as 40%.

4. Some of the population is well educated, but brain drain continues to deprive the country of much of its skilled workforce.

5. More job opportunities are also needed for young women specifically.

6. Some 17% of Iranian women 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or higher – the same as their male counterparts.

7. But fewer than 17% of working-age Iranian women participate in the labor force at all, while the world average for women is 49%.

8. This is actually even lower than Saudi Arabia’s female labor force participation rate (22%).

9. Many become mothers and homemakers, but Iran’s average rate of births per woman is just 1.68.

10. There is untapped potential in Iran’s young, female labor force – if jobs can be found.

Sources: The Globalist Research Center, World Bank, World Factbook, The Telegraph, Vox