Sharing its eastern borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran shipped US$12.7 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2024.

That estimated dollar metric results from an -61.5% drop compared to $33 billion five years earlier in 2020.

Year over year, the total value of Iranian exports shrank by -86.4% from $104.5 billion starting from 2023.

Iran’s 5 top export products are ethylene polymers, iron ores and concentrates, petroleum gases, miscellaneous nuts then acyclic alcohols. Combined, Iran’s 5 major exports represent about two-fifths (40.6%) of the total dollar sales for all products exported from Iran in 2024.

Iran’s Most Valuable Trading Partners

From a continental perspective, 96.1% of Iran’s exports by value was delivered to Asian countries while 2.4% was sold to importers based in Europe. Iran shipped another 1% worth of goods to buyers in Africa.

Tinier percentages went to customers based in Latin America (0.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, North America (0.03%) then Oceania (0.02%) mostly Australia.

Given Iran’s population of 86.6 million people, its total $12.7 billion worth of exports in 2024 translates to roughly $150 for every resident in the Middle Eastern country. That per capita metric exceeds the average $140 for one year earlier in 2023.

Iran’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Iranian global shipments during 2024. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Iran.

1. Plastics, plastic articles: US$2.3 billion (18.2% of total exports)
2. Fruits, nuts: $1.3 billion (10.1%)
3. Ores, slag, ash: $1.3 billion (9.8%)
4. Mineral fuels including oil: $1.2 billion (9.7%)
5. Iron, steel: $1.1 billion (8.3%)
6. Organic chemicals: $822 million (6.5%)
7. Aluminum: $668.1 million (5.2%)
8. Copper: $616.1 million (4.8%)
9. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $420.6 million (3.3%)
10. Zinc: $340.7 million (2.7%)

Iran’s top 10 exports accounted for 78.7% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Ores, slag and ash was the lone grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 39% from 2023 to 2024.

The leading decliner among Iran’s top 10 export categories was mineral fuels including oil, pulled down by a -97.9% year-over-year plummet. The severest drops were recorded by Iranian exports for crude oil, petroleum gases and petroleum coke.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, ethylene polymers represent Iran’s most valuable exported product at 14.8% of the country’s total. In second place were a iron ores and concentrates (8.9%) trailed by petroleum gases (6%), miscellaneous nuts (5.6%), acyclic alcohols (5.2%), unwrought aluminum (4.8%), semi-finished iron or non-alloy steel products (2.8%), unwrought zinc (2.6%), refined copper and unwrought alloys (2.3%), then unfinished iron or non-alloy steel bars and rods (1.9%).

Products Generating Biggest Trade Surpluses for Iran

The following types of Iranian product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Plastics, plastic articles: US$1.7 billion (Down by -40% since 2023)
2. Ores, slag, ash: $1.2 billion (Down by -31.6%)
3. Mineral fuels including oil: $1.1 billion (Down by -98.4%)
4. Fruits, nuts: $1.07 billion (Down by -38.4%)
5. Iron, steel: $679.1 million (Down by -83.5%)
6. Copper: $600.9 million (Down by -58.3%)
7. Aluminum: $539.3 million (Up by 26.9%)
8. Organic chemicals: $467.4 million (Down by -75%)
9. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $389 million (Down by -21.1%)
10. Zinc: $340 million (Down by -18.6%)

Iran has highly positive net exports in the international trade of plastics, both as materials and items made from plastic. In turn, these cashflows indicate Iran’s strong competitive advantages under the plastics and plastic articles product category.

Products Causing Worst Trade Deficits for Iran

Iran incurred an estimated -US$10.5 billion trade deficit in 2024, reversing a $38.9 billion surplus one year earlier in 2023.

Below are exports from Iran that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Iran’s goods trail Iranian importer spending on foreign products.

1. Machinery including computers: -US$3.3 billion (Down by -63.5% since 2023)
2. Cereals: -$1.91 billion (Down by -75%)
3. Vehicles: -$1.9 billion (Down by -25.8%)
4. Oil seeds: -$1.44 billion (Down by -40.9%)
5. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1.4 billion (Down by -80.6%)
6. Food industry waste, animal fodder: -$1.16 billion (Up by 14%)
7. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$1.11 billion (Down by -37.6%)
8. Pharmaceuticals: -$836.2 million (Down by -27.6%)
9. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$564.4 million (Down by -78.6%)
10. Gems, precious metals: -$492.2 million (Down by -58.1%)

Iran has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits under the machinery including computers product category.

Iranian Export Companies

According to global trade intelligence firm Zepol, the following companies are examples of diverse exporters from Iran.

• Pars Pak (carpets, other textile floor coverings)
• Sana T Tejarat Anahita (grapes, raisins)
• Khadem Trading (cereals, aerated/mineral water)
• Dezdasht Agro Industry (juice, jams)
• Omid Nikan (acyclic polyhydric alcohols)
• Kayson (grinding machines, tubes/pipes/hoses, doors)
• Dashte Morghab (flour, meal)
• Celulose Irani (wooden furniture)
• Bushehr Marine Products (citrus fruit, melons)
• Axis Global Trading (pistachios)

 
In macroeconomic terms, Iran’s total exported goods represent 0.8% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2024 ($1.696 trillion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 0.8% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2024 falls below the 0.7% for 2023, suggesting a modestly increasing dependence on exports for Iran’s overall economic performance.

Another key indicator of a country’s economic performance is its unemployment rate. Iran’s unemployment rate averaged 7.765% for 2024, down from an average 8.075% one year earlier in 2023 according to International Monetary Fund statistics.

Iran’s capital city is Tehran.

See also Iran’s Top 10 Imports, China’s Top Trading Partners, Turkey’s Top Trading Partners, Iraq’s Top Trading Partners and Iraq’s Top 10 Exports

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Middle East: Iran. Accessed on September 12, 2025

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on September 12, 2025

International Trade Centre, Trade Map: Iran export data. Accessed on September 12, 2025

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on September 12, 2025

Wikipedia, Iran. Accessed on September 12, 2025

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on September 12, 2025

Zepol’s company summary highlights by country. Accessed on September 12, 2025