This map, created by Álvaro Merino for El Orden Mundial in 2024, shows the distribution of ethnicities in Iran according to 2008 data.

Iran is an ethnographically diverse country. While there is a clear Persian and Shi'a majority, there is significant ethnic and religious diversity. Persians currently make up between 50 % and 60 % of the population, although they are not a majority in all regions.

On the map, the majority ethnic groups in the different regions can be seen in different colours, with the most important ones being those with the greatest weight:

• Persians (50 % - 60 %), Shia majority, in light blue.
• Azeris (16 %), Shia majority, in dark green.
• Kurds (8 %), Sunni-majority, in yellow.
• Luros (7 %), Shia majority, in turquoise.
• Arabs (2 %), Sunni majority, in bottle green.
• Baluchies (2 %), Sunni-majority, in light orange.

Despite the demographic weight of ethnic minorities, legislation has been pushing for a centralised Persian state since the Pahlavi dynasty came to power in 1925. This has led to a ban on education in minority languages, which has not resulted in barely half of the population being fluent in Persian as their main language.

Sources

• The map of Iran's ethnic groups - The World Order