At one point, not so long ago, the Iranian regime used what they called a “poverty line.” It was set at a point of 10 million tomans per family. the National Council of Resistance of Iran’s (NCRI), and the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), reported that any family earning less than that was below the poverty level.
Mishandled and corruption
Now, that’s changed. As the Iranian regime has mishandled the economy, that criterion has now changed.
The regime is now using a newer poverty line, called the ‘food poverty line.” This is set at 670,000 tomans per person, way below the original level. It is an indication of the worsening conditions for ordinary Iranians in Iran.
At this new food poverty line, any family below that level is in serious danger of starving, as the cost of living, especially food, is beyond what could be paid for out of the food poverty level.
Food poverty line
The relief committee’s deputy for public participation, Alireza Asgarian, said that about 20 million Iranians, a quarter of the country’s estimated population, are trying to survive below the food poverty level.
Asgarian said: “there is currently a population of about 20 million people in need of social security coverage. The monthly observation center samples at 1,800 points and defines the food poverty line.
Now the ‘food poverty line’ is 670,000 tomans per person, and if you consider a family of three with the minimum wage, many working families are below the poverty line or on the border of the ‘food poverty line’”.
Unemployment rate 60% of population
The regime has been fiddling with all sorts of statistics when it comes to describing the national economic outlook. For example, “a review of the unemployment rate of the population aged 10 and over shows that 6.10 percent of the active population was unemployed. Based on these results, the unemployment rate was higher among women than men and in urban areas compared to rural areas,” according to the Statistics Center of Iran.
This means that even 10-year-old children are included as being in the labor force.
The statistics are even worse when unemployed graduates are concerned. The number of unemployed graduates is stated as between 2 to 4 million. These unemployed Iranians have already had over 16 years of education. The fact they are unemployed is an indicator of the dire state of the Iranian economy.
Using the regime’s own statistics, the old level of 10 million tomans would have meant that 70 million Iranians were below the poverty level. The new figure of 670,000 tomans per head means that most of the country is at a “nationwide silent massacre level.”
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube
