Iran (Islamic Republic of) Overview Iran is the world’s fourth largest producer of crude oil and ranks second and third in oil and gas reserves, respectively. The country’s GDP per capita has increased greatly over the last decade, yet the official unemployment rate remains high. High unemployment is partially explained by Iran’s demographics: about 70 per cent of its population of 74 million are between ages 15 and 65. Iran also has one of the world’s largest refugee populations, almost a million. The country has already fulfilled its ICPD threshold commitments and appears to be on track to meet most of the MDG targets for education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health and HIV/AIDS. The contraceptive prevalence rate has increased dramatically over the last decade. The total fertility rate has reached below replacement level at 1.74 lifetime births per woman, with a minimal gap between urban and rural areas. About 97 per cent of all births are attended by skilled birth attendants. These trends have contributed to a large decrease in maternal mortality, to 140 deaths per 100,000 live births. Infant mortality also declined by almost half between 1990 and 2007. Iran is addressing its concentrated HIV epidemic with a combination of harm reduction, management of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and voluntary counselling and testing programs for injecting drug users and other most-at-risk groups. UNFPA is partnering with the National AIDS Program to conduct formative research, STI prevalence studies and biobehavioral surveillance; and to pilot a combination of psychosocial counselling, STI management and harm reduction services for highly vulnerable women. UNFPA support in Iran focuses on improving the quality of reproductive health services, adolescent sexual and reproductive health, and HIV prevention among vulnerable women; improving emergency preparedness in the area of reproductive health; developing national capacity to monitor and research ICPD goals and MDGs; and addressing gender-based violence.