The Shadow of Poverty Over the People
The Shadow of Poverty Over the People
The Statistical Center of Iran says that 27% of Iranians live on a daily income of two dollars, meaning a third of Iran’s population cannot afford the basic necessities of life. Additionally, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) indicates that 65% of Iran’s population suffers from malnutrition.
Meanwhile, Iranian citizens say that with the surge of the dollar price reaching 80,000 tomans, the prices of essential goods have also increased several times, forcing them to remove many other items from their expense baskets. The report from the Statistical Center pertains to January when the dollar was around 79,500 tomans. Today, on February 7, the dollar rate is around 85,000 tomans. Given this, it can be said that the income of those same 27% of Iranians has fallen below two dollars a day.
Some citizens in various cities of Iran have spoken to Radio Farda about the prices of goods these days and how they manage to procure them. The names of individuals have been changed to aliases in this report at their request.
Food Items Without Substitutes
Low-income families are forced to substitute cheaper items with each price surge in food. They replace red meat with chicken, chicken with eggs, and eventually eggs with legumes and potatoes. The latest report from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that more than a third of the food items used by Iranian households have seen a price increase of 40 to 103% compared to January last year, with legumes and fruits experiencing the most significant price hikes.
Of course, it should be noted that the Statistical Center’s report is based on official prices, and for example, the price of one kilogram of potatoes is considered to be 32,000 tomans, while in the fruit and vegetable market, potatoes are offered at 36,000 tomans. Ms. Mahya, who lives in eastern Tehran, has bought potatoes for as much as 60,000 tomans per kilogram. She tells Radio Farda that after the increase in the dollar price, prices have grown unbelievably. Now, an egg sandwich, including one egg, one tomato, and one bread, costs 20,000 tomans.
If a family of four wants to eat just egg sandwiches, they would have to spend half of their income. The rent for the apartment she lives in, in eastern Tehran, is 20 million tomans. She says the real estate agent told her that the rent for this 60-square-meter apartment is now 40 million tomans. She has eliminated personal purchases from her life and is now worried about the next year because, according to her, prices are expected to increase again, especially for Nowruz and afterward.
However, President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday, February 4, acknowledged the current poor living conditions and high prices, calling them unacceptable and stating that some economic problems are beyond the government’s control. Despite this admission of inability, he promised that the government plans to take good actions to support people’s livelihoods before Nowruz 1404.
When Food Costs Replace Education Expenses
Prices are generally higher in Tehran, but in less affluent cities, the economic situation and pressure on weak households are not less. Mr. Mansour, a resident of Zahedan, supports several poor families. He says, ‘We used to pay a monthly subsidy for the education or food of some weak families, and alongside that, we provided some food items as support packages to them. With rising prices, our donation basket has become smaller and smaller, and we can no longer afford to pay educational subsidies.’ These food items include pasta, soy, tomato paste, and oil, with no more variety.
Ms. Farnaz, who is active in a charity group in Abadan, is responsible for identifying women who are heads of households. She says about the situation of these families, ‘For a long time, education has been our second priority in attending to underprivileged families, and our focus is on their food. Some families had previously replaced many food items with legumes, but price increases have even cut that off.’ According to Farnaz, in some cases, families have nothing to eat, and she emphasizes this statement.
The removal of meat and eggs as protein sources has led to at least 65% of the country’s population suffering from malnutrition. The Global Hunger Index (GHI) in 2024 shows that Iran is positioned between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Lebanon was engaged in military conflict during the period under review, but Iran is dealing with malnutrition in a state of peace.
The Tehran-based newspaper Etemad recently wrote in a report that the actual number is likely higher than this index. Other studies show signs of malnutrition, such as an average weight deficiency of 6%, mild weight deficiency of 25%, severe stunting of 3%, moderate stunting of 8%, mild stunting of 21%, severe thinness of 1%, moderate thinness of 5%, and mild thinness of 20% among Iranians.
Ashkeneh Returns to Iranian Tables
Ahmad Alamolhoda, the representative of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic in Khorasan Razavi Province and the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, in August 2012 during the second Ahmadinejad administration, in response to one of the surges in chicken prices and its scarcity, said, ‘The people’s food facilities are not supposed to always be the same. Mashhadis, have you forgotten Ashkeneh with fried onions and that lifestyle?’ Now, a decade later, this has become an inevitable part of life for a segment of the people, with the difference that now, with the rise in potato prices, they have also been forced to remove that from Ashkeneh.
Mr. Afshar lives in the Khavaran area, a point in southeast Tehran where the prices of many items are slightly cheaper compared to central Tehran. He says, ‘The price of each kilo of meat is 600,000 tomans, and each kilo of chicken is 90,000 tomans. Under these circumstances, I can’t afford to buy.’ Earlier this month, Ali Asghar Maleki, head of the Mutton Union, confirmed that with the price increases coinciding with the rise in the dollar price, the market has experienced a downturn and silence.
It seems that not buying meat is not limited to that 27% who earn less than two dollars a day and includes a broader segment of society, a situation that has turned meat into a luxury item that only a portion of Iranian society can afford. Mr. Afshar’s colleague is a worker with a monthly salary of 10 million tomans who is also a tenant. Afshar says, ‘Most of his salary goes to rent, and he gets by with one or two million tomans a month, that too with bread, legumes, and potatoes. However, they have stopped buying potatoes for some time now.’
According to Afshar, he has long replaced meat and chicken with chicken bones and feet. The price of each of these is 30,000 and 25,000 tomans per kilo. One of Mr. Afshar’s colleague’s main meals is Ashkeneh, which he has been eating without potatoes for some time. He refers to it as ‘water and tomato paste.’ Afshar says, ‘Many workers in our area use these food items.’ The analysis of the Global Hunger Index 2024 shows that due to the nutritional situation, 53% of Iranian children are stunted due to chronic malnutrition. The upward trend of prices, especially the dollar rate, continues, and senior officials of the Islamic Republic are not unaware of the economic pressures affecting Iranian families.
Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, said in a recent meeting of the heads of the branches of government, ‘People are being crushed under economic pressures, and out of respect for the Ahl al-Bayt of Islam and religion, they don’t say anything to us. The revolution was for the religion and world of the people, and we must succeed in both areas. Unfortunately, our record in the field of economic issues is not acceptable.’ Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, said in August 2023 in a meeting with IRGC commanders about the country’s situation, ‘We have passed a significant portion of the path despite the steep slope and are approaching the peaks.’
However, data from the Statistical Center shows that Iran’s national income per capita in 2023 faced a 20% decline compared to 2011. This report also showed that Iran has become a poorer country in 2023 than before, a poverty that is now more visible in most economic indicators and data.
