Iran’s gross domestic product (GDP), the standard measure of the size of an economy, is nowhere near 17th place in the world. According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Iran’s GDP ranked 29th in the world in 2010. The previous year, the World Bank ranked Iran’s GNP 26th in the world. Back in 2005, it was ranked 32nd.
Ahmadi-nejad said the 20-Year Outlook Plan envisages Iran reaching first in the region after 20 years. That would mean passing Saudi Arabia, currently ranked 23rd in the world by both the World Bank and IMF, and Turkey, currently ranked 17th by both organizations.
The total size of an economy is a contributor to a country’s international power and relevance and is what Ahmadi-nejad is constantly focused on.
For individuals, however, the per capita share of national income is more relevant. In 2009, according to a World Bank table published in December, Iran was in the middle by that ranking. Out of 213 jurisdictions ranked, Iran placed 95th according to the purchasing power parity method of calculation and 111th according to the Atlas methodology..
The United States ranked 18th and 15h by those two methods and Canada ranked 29th and 28th.