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Iranian Population Educated, Urbanized and Young: Census (Iranian fertility rate plummets to 1.29)
Turkish Weekly ^ | July 30, 2012

Posted on 07/31/2012 2:04:59 PM PDT by JerseyanExile

According to the latest census, Iran’s population is at 75.2 million, with 99.4 percent being Muslims, 55 percent under the age of 30, and the literacy rate at 93 percent

Iran is a very urbanized society with a largely educated, young Muslim population that ranks as the Middle East’s second-largest, its latest census figures published yesterday show.

The snapshot, issued on the website of the presidency’s planning and strategic supervision department (www.amar.org.ir), also corrected some misconceptions about the country, notably by reporting fewer than expected Jews and Internet users.

The census, whose data was collected in 2011 and presented in resume last week by the department’s officials, gave Iran’s total population as 75.2 million, 99.4 percent of whom are Muslim. That was larger than any other country in the region except for Egypt (81 million, according to the World Bank).

Iranians accounted for 73.5 million of the total, with 1.5 million Afghans making up the biggest minority living in the country. Other minorities included Iraqis (51,500), Pakistanis (17,700) and Turks (1,600). An overwhelming proportion of the population -- 71 percent -- lived in urban areas, and Tehran and its satellite towns are home to 12.2 million inhabitants.

The literacy rate for those aged between 10 and 49 was 93 percent.

Most of the population is young, with 55 percent aged under 30.

The proportion of young Iranians use to be even higher, but a rapidly slowing birth rate -- an average 1.29 children per couple, compared to 1.62 in the last census in 2006 -- has resulted in a decrease in recent years.

The supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has recently sought to reverse a previous policy favoring birth control in a bid to boost the population to between 150 million and 200 million. Even though Iran -- a Shiite theocracy -- is almost completely Muslim, other faiths are present. There are 8,756 Jews in the country, according to the census. That was fewer than the 20,000 figure previously estimated.

There are also 117,704 Christians, the census said, as well as 25,271 Zoroastrians (adherents of a faith that dominated pre-Islamic Persia), and 49,101 listed as “other.” A total 265,899 people did not give a religion.

Education is an important value in Iran, as seen by a big jump in the number of people pursuing higher studies at university or in religious institutions (10.5 million, up from 6.9 million in 2006).

Men and women are split almost equally 50-50 in this category, underlining the growing number of educated Iranian women.

Iran has the biggest group of Internet users in the Middle East -- although the figure of 11.2 million declaring themselves connected was far smaller than the estimate of 36 million advanced by the telecommunications ministry.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iran; iranians; persia; persians
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To: JerseyanExile; odds
it is incorrect to compare Ukraine-Russia or Bulgari-Ottomans to the Irani case

In fact the two are different from each other. ukraine contains the cradle of Eastern Slavic civilisation, the Kievan Rus states which also spread over what is now Belarus and western Russia. Muscowy (which became Russia) claimed to re-gather the Rus lands after the Mongol invasion. However, while Muscowy was doing that, the Lithuanians conquered western Ukraine and Belarus and then lithuania joined with Poland, hence setting the stage for the Muscowy-Polish feud.

Bulgaria was conquered by the Ottomans, who no longer exist. Bulgaria is a successor state almost as much as modern day Turkey is.

21 posted on 08/01/2012 6:17:51 AM PDT by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: Fred Nerks

ah. Right. WE have SOOOOOO much to thank Carter for, don’t we? /sarc


22 posted on 08/01/2012 6:18:27 AM PDT by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: Fred Nerks
well, I prefer prettier persian babes :p




23 posted on 08/01/2012 6:20:32 AM PDT by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: JerseyanExile
Iran’s population is at 75.2 million, with 99.4 percent being Muslims, 55 percent under the age of 30, and the literacy rate at 93 percent

Well if they're so freakin' young and smart....how come they're filty moslems?

24 posted on 08/01/2012 6:29:41 AM PDT by ROCKLOBSTER (Celebrate Republicans Freed the Slaves Month.)
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To: Cronos

Jerry gotta make himself/herself crystal clear, regarding EVERY THING!

Ahh, the “Persian” Jibe is overrated & often out of context, or, in Jerry’s case, an “after-thought”..


25 posted on 08/01/2012 6:42:54 AM PDT by odds
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To: Cronos

Cronos:

You ought to behave yourself! :-)

BTW, seriously, so, a blue-eyed, blonde (well, very light brown hair), like myself won’t do huh!?


26 posted on 08/01/2012 6:47:35 AM PDT by odds
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To: odds
BTW, seriously, so, a blue-eyed, blonde (well, very light brown hair), like myself won’t do huh!?

well, considering my Polish wife is a blue-eyed blonde.... :) A blue-eyed blonde works very well for me -- my wife :-P

27 posted on 08/01/2012 6:53:52 AM PDT by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: odds
gotta make himself/herself crystal clear

well, Iranis will continue to be blanket-associated with the Islamic regime as long as the Islamic regime continues. We can't expect everyone to know everything about every country...

28 posted on 08/01/2012 6:55:08 AM PDT by Cronos (**Marriage is about commitment, cohabitation is about convenience.**)
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To: Cronos

Just as it does for the USA.. i.e Carter, Clinton, Hussein Obama, etc., etc.., etc..... - sounds like “The King & I”.. ;-)


29 posted on 08/01/2012 7:25:43 AM PDT by odds
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To: Cronos

As it does for my conservative, republican, former Air Force pilot & commander, American husband, who has always been a Reagan supporter :-)


30 posted on 08/01/2012 7:30:22 AM PDT by odds
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To: tbw2

Social engineering has worked in which country? So far all the Zero or Negative Population Growth folks all look like evil nuts. They’ve caused real harm and part of the slowdown we’re seeing is a demographic shrinking caused directly by their pronouncements and policies.


31 posted on 08/02/2012 1:36:47 AM PDT by 1010RD (First, Do No Harm)
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