2
IRAN
International Religious Freedom Report for 2014
United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
the country’s human rights practices, including the continued persecution of
religious minorities.
Section I. Religious Demography
The U.S. government estimates the population at 80.8 million (July 2014 estimate).
Muslims constitute 99 percent of the population; 90 percent are Shia and 9 percent
Sunni (mostly Turkmen, Arabs, Baluchis, and Kurds living in the northeast,
southwest, southeast, and northwest, respectively). There are no official statistics
available on the size of the Sufi Muslim population; however, some reports
estimate that several million Iranians practice Sufism.
Groups constituting the remaining 1 percent of the population include Bahais,
Christians, Jews, Sabean-Mandaeans, Zoroastrians, and Yarsanis. The three
largest non-Muslim minorities are Bahais, Christians, and Yarsanis. Bahais
number approximately 300,000 and are heavily concentrated in Tehran and
Semnan. According to UN data, 300,000 Christians live in the country, although
some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) estimate there may be as many as
370,000. The Statistical Center of Iran reports there are 117,700. The majority of
Christians are ethnic Armenians concentrated in Tehran and Isfahan. Unofficial
estimates of the Assyrian Christian population range between 10,000 and 20,000
.
There are also Protestant denominations, including evangelical groups. Christian
groups outside the country estimate the size of the Protestant community to be less
than 10,000, although many Protestants reportedly practice in secret. Yarsanis,
mainly located in Luristan and Gurani-speaking areas of southern Kurdistan, have
often been classified by the government as Shia Muslims practicing Sufism.
Yarsanis, however, identify Yarsan as a distinct faith (known in Iraq as Kaka’i).
There is no official count of Yarsanis, but one NGO and some leaders in the
Yarsani faith estimate there are up to one million. There are from 5,000 to 10,000
Sabean-Mandaeans. The Statistical Center of Iran estimated in 2011 that there
were approximately 25,300 Zoroastrians, who are primarily ethnic Persians;
however, Zoroastrian groups report 60,000 members. Similarly, Iranian census
statistics in 2012 reported there were fewer than 9,000 Jews, while media estimate
there are as many as 25,000.
Section II. Status of Government Respect for Religious Freedom
Legal Framework