Sharing its eastern borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran shipped US$9.9 billion worth of exported products around the world in 2025.

That estimated dollar metric results from an -85.7% drop compared to $69.5 billion five years earlier in 2021.

Year over year, the total value of Iranian exports plummeted by -90.5% from $14.1 billion starting from 2024.

Iran’s 5 top export products are ethylene polymers, petroleum gases, miscellaneous nuts, iron ores and concentrates, then unwrought aluminum. Combined, Iran’s 5 major exports represent about two-fifths (41.9%) of the total dollar sales for all products exported from Iran in 2025.

Iran’s Most Valuable Trading Partners

The following top 12 trading partners bought 60.8% of total Iranian exports in 2023. Mainland China led with a 27.1% share ahead of Iraq (11.5%), Türkiye (6.8%), United Arab Emirates (5.8%), India (2.3%), Pakistan (1.9%), Afghanistan (1.7%), Oman (1.2%), Russia (0.9%), Indonesia (0.7%), Azerbaijan (0.53%) and Armenia (0.47%).

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 2025 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 2024.

Iran’s Top 10 Exports

The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Iranian global shipments during 2025. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Iran.

1. Plastics, plastic articles: US$1.7 billion (17.2% of total exports)
2. Fruits, nuts: $1.2 billion (12.6%)
3. Mineral fuels including oil: $1.2 billion (12.3%)
4. Ores, slag, ash: $813.3 million (8.2%)
5. Iron, steel: $661 million (6.7%)
6. Aluminum: $591.6 million (6%)
7. Copper: $555.9 million (5.6%)
8. Organic chemicals: $345.7 million (3.5%)
9. Zinc: $293.7 million (3%)
10. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $275.9 million (2.8%)

Iran’s top 10 exports accounted for 77.8% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Aluminum garnered the most modest slowdown among the top 10 export categories, down by -29.6% from 2024 to 2025.

In second place were Iranian exports of zinc via a -30.4% decrease.

Iran’s shipments of fruits and nuts posted the third-slowest setback, down by -43.6%.

The leading decliner among Iran’s top 10 export categories was mineral fuels including oil thanks to a -98.3% year-over-year drop.

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, ethylene polymers represent Iran’s most valuable exported product at 14.9% of the country’s total. In second place were petroleum gases (7.6%) trailed by miscellaneous nuts (7.4%), iron ores and concentrates (6.4%), unwrought aluminum (5.6%), unwrought zinc (2.9%), refined copper and unwrought alloys (also 2.9%), acyclic alcohols (2.7%), petroleum oil residues (2.3%), then dates, figs, pineapples, mangoes, avocadoes and guavas (2.1%).

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$1.17 billion (Down by -27.6% since 2024)
2. Mineral fuels including oil: $1.16 billion (Up by 3.3%)
3. Fruits, nuts: $950.1 million (Up by 5.1%)
4. Ores, slag, ash: $774.7 million (Down by -35.1%)
5. Copper: $545 million (Down by -10%)
6. Aluminum: $514.1 million (Down by -4.8%)
7. Iron, steel: $419.7 million (Down by -47.8%)
8. Zinc: $293.4 million (Down by -13.3%)
9. Salt, sulphur, stone, cement: $254.2 million (Down by -40.6%)
10. Dairy, eggs, honey: $156.8 million (Up by 1%)

Iran has highly positive net exports in the international trade of plastics, both as materials and items made from plastic, as well as mineral fuels including oil. In turn, these cashflows indicate Iran’s strong competitive advantages under the related product categories.

Products Causing Worst Trade Deficits for Iran

Iran incurred an estimated -US$10.1 billion trade deficit in 2025, down from -$16.1 billion in red ink one year earlier in 2024.

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. Cereals: -US$3.1 billion (Up by 61.7% since 2024)
2. Machinery including computers: -$2.4 billion (Down by -62.9%)
3. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$1.4 billion (Down by -22.3%)
4. Vehicles: -$1.3 billion (Down by -35.7%)
5. Oil seeds: -$1.1 billion (Down by -26.1%)
6. Pharmaceuticals: -$872.5 million (Up by 2%)
7. Optical, technical, medical apparatus: -$862.6 million (Down by -28.4%)
8. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$606.9 million (Up by 6.6%)
9. Food industry waste, animal fodder: -$604.4 million (Down by -48.3%)
10. Manmade filaments: -$413.8 million (Down by -20.9%)

Iran has highly negative net exports and therefore notable international trade deficits under the cereals and machinery including computers product categories.

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 0.6% of its overall Gross Domestic Product for 2025 ($1.746 trillion valued in Purchasing Power Parity US dollars). That 0.6% for exports to overall GDP in PPP for 2025 falls below the 0.8% for 2024, suggesting decreasing 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 9.5% for 2025, up from an average 7.765% one year earlier in 2024 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 May 29, 2026

International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on May 29, 2026

International Trade Centre, Trade Map: Iran export data. Accessed on May 29, 2026

Wikipedia, Gross domestic product. Accessed on May 29, 2026

Wikipedia, Iran. Accessed on May 29, 2026

Wikipedia, Purchasing power parity. Accessed on May 29, 2026

Zepol’s company summary highlights by country. Accessed on May 29, 2026