Photo: User:Gire 3pich2005 , derived: User:Nastoshka · CC0 · via Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale
Topic 12 of 18 · Country Index 2026
Iran: Mobility & Trade
How connected is a country to the rest of the world?
Iran is placed 143rd of 177 countries on mobility & trade in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Liner Shipping Connectivity Index 58.86 (2025); Logistics Performance Index 2.3 (2023).
Share
Mobility & Trade
143rd
of 177 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 4 key statistics
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place Iran on mobility & trade — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2025 edition · data for 2025 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
58.86
LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100)
Higher is better
Ranked 88th of 177 by UNCTAD
Iran: 58.86. Across the 168 countries in this edition, values run from 4.13 (Turks and Caicos Islands) to 1,313 (China); the world median is 60.84.
- World median
- 60.84
- Best in Southern Asia
- 399.12 India
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 83 · Pakistan 150.9 · Türkiye 302.2
No reading
Median days a full import container waits in port
Lower is better
World Bank Group publishes no 2024 figure for Iran, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 156 countries in this edition, values run from 1 (Gibraltar) to 21.6 (Haiti); the world median is 4.4.
- World median
- 4.4
- Best in Southern Asia
- 3 India
- Land neighbours
- Iraq 4.2 · Pakistan 6.1 · Türkiye 4.8
2.3
LPI score (1–5)
Higher is better
Ranked 123rd of 139 by World Bank Group
Iran: 2.3. Across the 139 countries in this edition, values run from 1.9 (Afghanistan) to 4.3 (Singapore); the world median is 2.9.
- World median
- 2.9
- Best in Southern Asia
- 3.4 India
- Land neighbours
- Afghanistan 1.9 · Armenia 2.5 · Iraq 2.4 · Türkiye 3.4
Key 4 of 4
ICT Goods Exports
UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 3.0 IGO
No reading
ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports)
Higher is better
UNCTAD publishes no 2024 figure for Iran, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 120 countries in this edition, values run from 0 (Gambia) to 61.45 (Hong Kong); the world median is 0.975.
- World median
- 0.975
- Best in Southern Asia
- 5.71 India
- Land neighbours
- Armenia 8.28 · Azerbaijan 0.04 · Pakistan 0.06 · Türkiye 0.69
02Over time
Which way Iran is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index
LSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100) · higher is better
IranWorld median
Iran fell from 108.59 in 2006 to 51.49 in 2026; the world median went from 52.25 to 56.21.
Every year’s figures
Year Iran World median 2026 51.49 56.21 2025 58.86 60.84 2024 58.92 55.22 2023 60.50 54.78 2022 60.72 51.49 2021 55.99 52.64 2020 57.14 47.86 2019 52.42 51.05 2018 52.05 52.03 2017 102.59 49.87 2016 109.78 48.09 2015 94.69 49.13 2014 66.89 48.08 2013 59.97 51.32 2012 81.48 47.44 2011 110.09 50.26 2010 122.70 50.51 2009 113.36 53.04 2008 106.78 51.68 2007 103.64 55.78 2006 108.59 52.25 Logistics Performance Index
LPI score (1–5) · higher is better
IranWorld median
Iran fell from 2.51 in 2007 to 2.3 in 2023; the world median went from 2.529 to 2.9.
Every year’s figures
Year Iran World median 2023 2.30 2.900 2018 2.85 2.706 2016 2.60 2.734 2014 — 2.753 2012 2.49 2.773 2010 2.57 2.746 2007 2.51 2.529 ICT Goods Exports
ICT goods exports (% of total goods exports) · higher is better
IranWorld median
Iran was at 0.01 in both 2000 and 2022; the world median went from 0.43 to 0.565.
Every year’s figures
Year Iran World median 2024 — 0.975000 2023 — 0.690000 2022 0.01 0.565000 2021 0.01 0.550000 2020 0.02 0.680000 2019 0.02 0.625000 2018 0.02 0.480000 2017 0.01 0.630000 2016 0.01 0.865000 2015 0.07 0.790000 2014 0.04 0.760000 2013 0.03 0.645000 2012 — 0.630000 2011 0.01 0.535000 2010 0.04 0.560000 2009 — 0.780000 2008 — 0.595000 2007 — 0.660000 2006 0.08 0.445000 2005 0.03 0.570000 2004 0.03 0.535000 2003 0.06 0.530000 2002 0.04 0.510000 2001 0.03 0.490000 2000 0.01 0.430000
03In context
Iran beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 177 countries on mobility & trade, never a place within the region.
Iran and the countries it borders
Standing among all 177; the key columns are the publishers’ own values.
| Country | Standing | Liner Shipping Connectivity IndexLSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100) | Container Import Dwell TimeMedian days a full import container waits in port | Logistics Performance IndexLPI score (1–5) | ICT Goods ExportsICT goods exports (% of total goods exports) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Türkiyecompare | 52nd | 302.2 | 4.8 | 3.4 | 0.69 |
 Armenia | 70th | — | — | 2.5 | 8.28 |
 Iraq | =101st | 83 | 4.2 | 2.4 | — |
 Pakistancompare | 107th | 150.9 | 6.1 | — | 0.06 |
| Iran | 143rd | 58.86 | — | 2.3 | — |
 Afghanistan | not placed | — | — | 1.9 | — |
 Azerbaijan | not placed | — | — | — | 0.04 |
 Turkmenistan | not placed | — | — | — | — |
“—”: no published reading in that edition. What a standing is
Across Southern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 177.
Placed either side on mobility & trade
The countries immediately above and below Iran in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where Iran is ahead of the world, and behind
17 more statistics filed under mobility & trade, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Behind the world median2
Statistics on which Iran does worse than the middle country measured.
Digitally-Deliverable Services ExportsUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 25.4211.725.42▼ Worsened since 2014
Iran: 11.7 · world median 25.42 · Digitally-deliverable services exports (% of services exports). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.377 to 87.15; higher is better.
Position 128th of 170 · derived.
Freedom of Foreign MovementV-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg · 2025 · world median 1.2-0.7791.2No real change since 2015
Iran: -0.779 · world median 1.2 · Original latent estimate (≈ −3.6 to +2.9); higher = freer movement. V-Dem Institute, University of Gothenburg, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from -3.642 to 2.727; higher is better.
Position 157th of 176 · derived.
No better end15
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Refugee Population by Country of AsylumUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 2025 · world median 12,269770,51412,269Moved since 2015
Iran: 770,514 · world median 12,269 · Refugees under UNHCR's mandate hosted, end of year (people). UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,655,191.
International MigrantsUN DESA Population Division · 2024 · world median 223,3233,840,654223,323No real change since 2015
Iran: 3,840,654 · world median 223,323 · International migrants living in the country, mid-year (people). UN DESA Population Division, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 246 to 52,375,047.
Merchant Fleet by Country of OwnershipUNCTAD · 2026 · world median 275.7319,444275.73Moved since 2016
Iran: 19,444 · world median 275.73 · Merchant fleet owned (thousand dead-weight tons). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2026 edition, data for 2026.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 397,071.
EmigrantsUN DESA Population Division · 2024 · world median 444,4511,733,468444,451No real change since 2015
Iran: 1,733,468 · world median 444,451 · Migrants from the country living abroad, mid-year (people). UN DESA Population Division, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 313 to 18,533,845.
Net Migration RateUN DESA Population Division · 2023 · world median -0.1332.892-0.133Moved since 2013
Iran: 2.892 · world median -0.133 · Net migrants per 1,000 population. UN DESA Population Division, 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from -61.68 to 39.62.
Terms of Trade IndexUNCTAD · 2025 · world median 103.23119.08103.23Moved since 2015
Iran: 119.08 · world median 103.23 · Terms of trade index (2015 = 100). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 38.2 to 1,448.
Container Port TrafficUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 1,827,7882,921,3591,827,788Moved since 2014
Iran: 2,921,359 · world median 1,827,788 · Container port traffic (TEU, twenty-foot equivalent units). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 17,263 to 299,703,800.
Position 45th of 103 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Cereal Import Dependency RatioFAO · 2022 · world median 42.840.642.8No real change since 2012
Iran: 40.6 · world median 42.8 · Share of the cereal supply that is imported (%). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from -1,894 to 100.
International Migrants as a Share of PopulationUN DESA Population Division · 2024 · world median 6.0894.1946.089No real change since 2015
Iran: 4.194 · world median 6.089 · International migrants (% of population). UN DESA Population Division, 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 100.
Imports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 41.7234.4941.72Moved since 2015
Iran: 34.49 · world median 41.72 · Imports of goods and services (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.279 to 196.89.
Position 82nd of 138 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Commodity Export DependenceUNCTAD · 2024 · world median 67.1751.3867.17Moved since 2014
Iran: 51.38 · world median 67.17 · Commodity exports (% of merchandise exports, three-year average). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 4.605 to 99.77.
Trade (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 79.6860.2479.68Moved since 2015
Iran: 60.24 · world median 79.68 · Exports plus imports (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 2.382 to 396.65.
Position 92nd of 138 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Exports of Goods and Services (% of GDP)World Bank Group · 2025 · world median 36.3425.7536.34Moved since 2015
Iran: 25.75 · world median 36.34 · Exports of goods and services (% of GDP). World Bank Group, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 1.103 to 199.76.
Position 95th of 138 · derived, counted from the highest value.
Export Concentration IndexUNCTAD · 2025 · world median 0.3060.1260.306Moved since 2015
Iran: 0.126 · world median 0.306 · Export concentration index (0–1, normalised Herfindahl–Hirschman). UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.059 to 0.933.
Asylum-Seekers by Country of AsylumUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency · 2025 · world median 1,83601,836Moved since 2015
Iran: 0 · world median 1,836 · Asylum-seekers awaiting a decision, end of year (people). UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 3,718,945.
No current reading for Iran
Average Time to Clear Exports Through Customs, Container Import Dwell Time, Cost of Sending Remittances, Creative Goods Exports (last 2022), Creative Services Exports (last 2022), Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, Foreign Value Added Share of Gross Exports, ICT Goods Exports (last 2022), ICT Services Exports (last 2018), Inbound Mobility Rate, Tertiary (last 2022), Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary (last 2022), Services Exports (last 2024) and Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All Products (last 2020). Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
“Position · derived” is this site’s ordering of the published values, 1st = best unless the row says otherwise; the publisher ranks no country on it. Rank, position and standing
05Country Index 2026
Mobility & Trade among Iran’s 15 topics
Mobility & Trade is Iran’s 9th best-placed topic of 15. Strongest first, each marker at its share of that topic’s field.
- Development & Human Capital48th of 1963/3 keys
- Health & Wellbeingjoint 67th of 2004/4 keys
- Economy & Innovationjoint 73rd of 1763/4 keys
- Poverty & Inequalityjoint 82nd of 1593/3 keys
- Education & Knowledge104th of 1984/4 keys
- Digital & Technologyjoint 109th of 1984/4 keys
- Risk & Resiliencejoint 116th of 1934/4 keys
- Food & Agriculturejoint 122nd of 1843/4 keys
- Mobility & Trade143rd of 1772/4 keys
- Governance & Institutions168th of 1944/4 keys
- Peace & Security165th of 1774/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties187th of 1984/4 keys
- Work & Labour175th of 1824/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainability180th of 1863/4 keys
- Gender & Equality181st of 1833/4 keys
No standing on Energy: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on mobility & trade
The three countries placed highest of 177, and the leaders Iran can most readily be measured against.
1
SingaporeSouth-eastern Asia
1st of 177 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Khairul Nizam . · CC BY 2.0, greyscale
2
MacauEastern Asia
2nd of 177 · 2 of 4 keys
Photo: Diego Delso · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
3
Hong KongEastern Asia
3rd of 177 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Base64 and Derivative work by Globe-trotter · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Singapore1st4/4 keysHighest in Southern Asia
India15th4/4 keysThis page
Iran143rd2/4 keys
Positions out of 177 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Analysis
Charts and analysis about Iran and mobility & trade
On mobility & trade
China Leads Global High-Technology Exports
The world’s ten largest high-technology exporters as a treemap, with the rest of the world beside them. Each country’s figure is its own most recent year, between 2022 and 2024.
On mobility & trade
The World’s Safest Airlines for 2025
The eleven safest airlines of 2025, each beside the country it is based in, and the nine things the grading looks at. Three airlines share third place, and the publisher gives an order but no score.
On mobility & trade
The world’s most powerful passports for 2025
Sixteen passports, their mobility scores, and the visa-free, visa-on-arrival and visa-required split behind each. Fourteen share third place while differing in how they reach it.
08Questions
Iran on mobility & trade: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does Iran rank on mobility & trade?
Iran is placed 143rd of 177 countries on Mobility & Trade in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics (Liner Shipping Connectivity Index and Logistics Performance Index). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Liner Shipping Connectivity Index figure for Iran?
58.86 in 2025 (lSCI (index, average Q1 2023 = 100)), according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The world median in the same edition was 60.84.
What is the latest Logistics Performance Index figure for Iran?
2.3 in 2023 (lPI score (1–5)), according to World Bank Group. The world median in the same edition was 2.9.
How does Iran compare with Pakistan on mobility & trade?
Pakistan is placed 107th of 177, and Iran 143rd. Liner Shipping Connectivity Index: Pakistan 150.9, Iran 58.86.
How have Iran’s mobility & trade figures changed?
Liner Shipping Connectivity Index fell from 108.59 in 2006 to 51.49 in 2026; Logistics Performance Index fell from 2.51 in 2007 to 2.3 in 2023; ICT Goods Exports was 0.01 in both 2000 and 2022.
Which mobility & trade statistics are missing for Iran?
No current reading is published for Iran on Average Time to Clear Exports Through Customs, Container Import Dwell Time, Cost of Sending Remittances, Creative Goods Exports, Creative Services Exports, Digital Services Trade Restrictiveness Index, FDI Regulatory Restrictiveness Index, Foreign Value Added Share of Gross Exports, ICT Goods Exports, ICT Services Exports, Inbound Mobility Rate, Tertiary, Outbound Mobility Ratio, Tertiary, Services Exports and Tariff Rate, Applied, Weighted Mean, All Products. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
Passport strength and freedom of movement for people are not measured with a key, because the data behind passport rankings is not licensed for reuse here. Trade as a share of the economy, remittance costs and student mobility are published here as context.
How the Mobility & Trade standing is decided
A standing is this site’s ordering, named with its edition — never a publisher’s rank. 4 key statistics vote, one vote each; every country’s published value becomes a place within that key’s own field, the places are averaged, and the average is never published. A country needs 2 of the 4 keys to be placed.
The mobility & trade method, step by stepHow every standing on this site is built
The key statistics and their licences
- Liner Shipping Connectivity Index — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
- Container Import Dwell Time — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- Logistics Performance Index — World Bank Group, CC BY 4.0
- ICT Goods Exports — UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), CC BY 3.0 IGO
The other 17 statistics on this page come from 6 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
Iran’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Iran (banner) — User:Gire 3pich2005 , derived: User:Nastoshka, CC0
- Singapore — Khairul Nizam ., CC BY 2.0
- Macau — Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hong Kong — Base64 and Derivative work by Globe-trotter, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). Iran: Mobility & Trade — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/iran/mobility