November 2023

Iran Lawmakers Pass Bill Raising Retirement Age for Men

Iranian lawmakers have approved legislation raising the retirement age for men to 62 and increasing the years of employment required to qualify for a full pension, state media reported. The bill, which requires approval by the Guardian Council, a conservative-dominated vetting body, aims "to reduce pension fund shortfalls," according to the official IRNA news agency. In Sunday's vote in the 290-seat parliament, 127 lawmakers voted in favor, 78 against and eight abstained, with the remainder absent. The speaker of parliament, Mohammad Baqer...

October 2023

Iran’s Health Ministry Warns of Ageing Population

Iran's Deputy Health Minister Hossein Farshidi issued a warning about the country's ageing population, claiming it will double within the next 20 years. Speaking on World Elderly Day Farshidi said the demographic change is happening much faster than in many developed countries, where it took over a century to see such a rise in the elderly population. He attributed the trend to global increases in life expectancy and significant reductions in fertility rates during the 20th century. He stressed that Iran has experienced similar...

July 2023

Irán. Elderly to Account for 30% of Population by 2050

The percentage of people over the age of 60 will constitute 30% of Iran’s population by the year 2050, Mohammad Tabatabaei, a health official with the Iran University of Medical Sciences, stated on Tuesday. “By 2050, the country’s demographic window of opportunity will close; therefore, considering the age of fertility, we have less than eight years to solve this crisis,” Tabatabaei was quoted as saying by ISNA. He said that the first three years of the eight were key as the...

August 2022

Iran raises pensions for retired workers by over 38%

The Iranian government has approved a raise in monthly pensions paid to millions of retired workers in the country. Caretaker labor minister Mohammad Hadi Zahedivafa said on Thursday that monthly pensions for retired workers who are on the payroll of Iran’s Social Security Organization (SSO) will rise by 38% plus a fixed monthly handout of 5.15 million rials ($17.5) as of September. The raise will be applied retroactively to pensions paid since the start of the calendar year in March, said...

Iranian Pensioners Continue Protests Amid Economic Woes

Pensioners and retired government employees have continued protests in more than a dozen Iranian cities for a second day as they seek a hike in pensions to offset rising prices amid the country's growing economic woes. Reports from eyewitnesses from 16 cities, including Mashhad, Shushtar, Ilam, Yazd, Qazvin, Karaj, Bandar Abbas, Kermanshah, Abadan, and Isfahan, showed protesters on June 7 demanding more money, saying their pensions aren't enough to live on. In the city of Ilam, retirees spread an empty tablecloth...

July 2022

Iranian Pensioners Protest Again, Demand Full Hike In Pensions As Promised

Pensioners and retired government employees have again taken to the streets in several cities across Iran shouting anti-government slogans and demanding a full 38 percent increase in their pensions, which was promised by the Supreme Labor Council. The recent wave of protests by pensioners and retirees comes after the government announced on June 6 that it would increase the monthly incomes of non-minimum-wage retirees by 10 percent, far below a previous pledge to raise them by 38 percent plus 5.15...

June 2022

Iranian Pensioners Return To Streets, Say Government Failing To Meet Promises

Iranian pensioners and retired public employees showed no signs of letting up in their protests against what they say is the government's failure to address deteriorating living conditions. Videos posted on social media on June 27 showed retirees gathering in at least four cities, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Arak, and Rasht, chanting slogans against the government of President Ebrahim Raisi. The recent wave of protests by pensioners and retirees comes after the government announced on June 6 that it would increase the monthly...

Iranian labor minister resigns amid protests against soaring living costs

Iran’s labor minister resigned on Tuesday amid daily nationwide protests by pensioners, merchants and workers against soaring living costs. While it was not clear if Hojatollah Abdolmaleki’s resignation was directly related to the month-long protests, a senior MP blamed his “incompetence” for the unrest. The semi-official Tasnim news site said his resignation followed “mounting criticism for his handling of the labor market and a meagre rise in the retirement pensions.” ”His failure to create a planned number of jobs and the growing...

Iranian pensioners protest against high living costs — reports

Pensioners protested in Iran on Monday against soaring living costs, according to Fars news agency and social media reports, in a further challenge to authorities grappling with weeks of unrest. Demonstrators shouted “our expenses are in dollars, our income in rials” in the northwestern city of Tabriz, the semi-official agency reported. “About 1,000 retirees gathered to protest peacefully and were escorted by the police” in the city, Fars added. Social media posts also purported to show crowds in Qazvin, Shiraz, Shushtar and...

February 2022

Iranian Teachers Demand Fair Pay, Pension Adjustment

Hundreds of teachers are protesting across Iran to demand a fair pay, adjustment of pensions, and the release of their detained colleagues. The protests in dozens of cities follow two days of sit-ins in schools where teachers had reportedly gone on strike. On January 31, teachers staged a protest outside the parliament building in Tehran and in front of Education Ministry offices in other cities, including Shiraz, Isfahan, and Ahvaz, to present their demands. Last month, Iran's parliament passed legislation to raise...