Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS
REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RIVISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE LA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
Iran's social and economic indicators in
pre-revolution and post-revolution periods
The following is a comparison of major
social and econ~mic indexes between the two
pre-revolution periods in 1rall. However, the
]ollowing points are to be noted in advance:
1) In the period between 1974 and 1977, an
upsur~e in oil earnings and unrestrained lift
from tne country's oil reserves had provided the
Shah's regime with huge sources of hard currency,
the bulk of which was allocated to the
import of consumption goods to provide an artifiCIal
welfare in the country. Therefore, some
welfare indexes which depended on imported
goods during those years do not reflect the real-
Ities of the country' s economy.
2) The policy of the Shah's regime was based
on the maximum lift from the country' s
exhaustible oil resources, and lift from the oil
reserves, during those years, amounted to 6 million
barrels/er
reserves ha
day (bpd). If lift from the oil
continued at the same pace and
level, given the amount of the then discovered
oil reserves of the country, the life of the
reserves could no: exceed 30 years at most.
After the revolution, the amount of lift from oil
reserves was reduced to less than half, and
given the newly discovered oil reserves and the
low rate of lift, the life of the country's oil
reserves is now estimated to last for another 60
or 70 years.
3) During t1)ose years, the amount of hard
currency spent on imported goods and services
reached
regard
$25 billion
to the annual
per annum. And, with
inflation of imported
goods, if Iran had attempted to import the same
amount of goods and services in recent years. it
would have had to spend over $50 billion. 4)
The population of the country, with an increase
of 70 percent during the past
from 35 million to around
15 years, has risen
60 million. It is
inevitable that with the rapid increase of the
population, the problems of meeting its needs
also increase at a progressive rate and the
resulting pressure
about substantial
on economic
difficulties.
resources
In view
brin$s
of tne
population growth rate, if the annual hard currency
spending had to be maintained on fixed
prices, Iran would have to spend over $80 billion
on imports
thé explanation
in recent years. With regard to
given above, some major social
and economic indexes between the said periods
are compared as follows:
1) Education
One of the characteristics of the population
of the country in the post-revolution area is its
youth. This characteristic puts a heavier burden
on the shoulders of the government in terms of
health care, education and employment.
According to the existing statistics, the number
of the country's students rose from 6.9 million
in 1975 to 8.5 million in 1977. In order to
meet the educational needs of these students,
600
500
400
300
200
100
o
• Jan. - Oct. Period.
Trade relations between Iran and Turkey ($ Million)
1991
1992
the Ministry of Education has had to build
around 270,000 new classrooms across Iran
durin& the post-revolution years, and the number
or classrooms had risen from 194.600 in
1977 to 463,000 in 1991. Like.wise, the number
of the country's instructors has risen from
around 252,000 in 1977 to 585,000 in 1991.
The literacy figures during those years also
point to a great accomplishment in this regard.
According to those figures, the ratio of literacy
in the entire country has increased from 49.13
percent in 1977 to 74.3 percent in 1991. This
ratio has increased from 32.2 percent to 63.1
percent in the rural population, and from 67
percent to 82.5 percent in the urban population.
2) Agricultural products
In the post-revolution era, the agricultural
sector of Iran has been granted a special status
as the sector which contributes to the independence
and self-sufficiency of the country.
During this period, with the implementation of
vast supportive policies in the sector, a majority
of major items of agricultural products have
enjoyed a growth rate faster than that of the
population. For instance, the production of
wheat, as a strategic crop, barley and cereals
has increased respectively from 5.5 million, 1.2
million and 225,000 tons in 1977 to !O.3 million,
3.6 million and 650,000 tons in 1992. In
other words, during this period, the production
of wheat has doubled, and the production of
barley and .cereals has tripled. The production
of rice, dunng the same period. has risen from
1.4 milhon to 2.1 million tons, showing an
increase
1992*
of 50 percent.
1993*
Ilmports
fom.lran
3) Industrial'products
In the industnal sector too, despite the problems
of the war, economic blockade and hard
currency shortages, accomplishments have been
achieved, mostly in the postwar years.
In this sector, the manufacture of iron and
steel, with the considerable investments made,
increased from 2 million tons in 1977 to 4 million
tons in 1991, and the production of cement
also rose from 6.3 million tons to 14 million
tons. During the same period. the production of
veaetable oil increased from 300,000 to
62Ô,000 tons, and the production of p'asteurized
milk rose from 164 million to 421 million liters.
4) Power generation
In the post-revolution years, special attention
has been paid to the development
try's infrastructures. Meanwhile,
of the coun-
the country's
power industry. despite the needed huge investments
and the existmg
very fast growth. The
problems,
country's
has enjoyed a
annual power
generation increased from 19 billion kilowatts
10 1977 to more than 64 billion kilowatts in
1991, and this amount will further increase with
new power plants to be set into operation.
Therefore, in view of the fact that power generation
has enjoyed a growth rate hißher than that
of the population,~the country s per capita
power
watts
generation has increased from
In 1977 to \, I 04 kilowatts
542 kilo-
in 1991.
During these years, rower .supply to the rllral
areas has won speçia attentIOn, and thl' number
163