December 31, 2021
A third of Iranian adults want to leave Iran while close to half of those living in Tehran want to move to another country, mainly for economic reasons, a poll by Keyou Analytics shows.
The poll surveyed 1,300 Iranians by telephone in November and December.
A previous survey conducted in 2016 showed that 29.8 percent of Iranian adults wished to emigrate to other countries. The recent survey by Keyou Analytics showed that the number had risen to 33.3 percent, higher than the regional average of 15 percent and the global average of 24 percent.
The survey showed that 46 percent of the adult population in Tehran, 41 percent of adults living in provincial capitals, 28 percent of residents in smaller towns, and 29 percent of rural inhabitants wanted to leave Iran.
While 47 percent of those wanting to emigrate were university graduates, 27 percent had high school diplomas. Also, 37 percent of men and 30 percent of women expressed a desire to leave Iran. One-third of those who took part in the phone survey said they would return to Iran at some point.
Most of those contacted cited financial reasons for leaving Iran, and 80 percent said they hoped for more economic opportunities abroad. The survey found 22 percent wanted to leave Iran for cultural activities, 7 percent for political reasons, and 6 percent for education.