WANA (Nov 17) – According to the latest data released by the World Bank, the administration of Ebrahim Raisi—the former Iranian president and the country’s eighth head of state, who died in a helicopter crash during his third year in office—recorded the most successful poverty-reduction performance in Iran over the past four decades. The report shows that by the end of 2023, Iran’s poverty rate had fallen to 32.7 percent, marking a 10-percentage-point decrease compared to 2021.

 

A comparison with the preceding administration highlights a striking contrast. Hassan Rouhani—the reformist-backed president who advocated for expanded engagement with the West and served two consecutive terms before Raisi—governed Iran from 2013 to 2021. World Bank statistics indicate that during the final years of his administration, particularly between 2018 and 2020, Iran experienced the highest poverty rate in four decades, reaching 42.5 percent.

 

These figures indicate that during Rouhani’s eight years in office, approximately 13 million people were added to Iran’s impoverished population. In contrast, during Ebrahim Raisi’s three-year presidency, nearly 10 million people were lifted out of poverty—an achievement widely regarded as one of the most significant socioeconomic accomplishments of his administration.