thumb|280px|Provinces of Iran by population in 2021

thumb|280px|Provinces of Iran by population density in 2013

[[File:Iranian provinces by HDI (2017).svg|thumb|Map of the Iranian provinces by Human Development Index in 2017<br />

Legend:

|280x280px]]

thumb|280px|Provinces of Iran by contribution to national GDP in 2014

thumb|280px|Provinces of Iran by GDP per capita in 2012

Iran is subdivided into thirty-one provinces (), which are the first-level administrative divisions of the country. Each province is governed from a local centre, usually the largest local city, which is called the capital () of the province. The provincial authority is headed by a governor-general (), who is appointed by the Minister of the Interior subject to approval of the cabinet. The provinces are subdivided into counties, districts () and villages.

Modern history

thumb|right|400px|Map of administrative subdivisions of Iran in 1911 – [[Tehran, eyalats, and velayats]]

Iran has held its modern territory since the Treaty of Paris in 1857. Prior to 1937, Iran had maintained its feudal administrative divisional structure, dating back to the time the modern state was centralized by the Safavid dynasty in the 16th century, although the boundaries, roles, and rulers changed often. On the eve of the Persian Constitutional Revolution in 1905, Iran was composed of Tehran, being directly ruled by the monarch; four eyalats ( eyâlât pl., eyâlat sin.), ruled by Qajar princes; and various velayats ( velâyât pl., velayat sin.). Nomadic tribal confederations, such as the Bakhtiari people and Qashqai people, were largely independent of the domestic administrative divisions and were autonomous.

With the Constitutional Revolution, and the formation of the first National Consultative Assembly, Iran's administrative subdivisions were legally defined in 1907. Any change in the boundaries of eyalats, velayats, or their respective sub-districts was banned by the Iranian constitution, except with the passage of a new law by the assembly. Per the 1907 law, the following were defined: Below is a list:

;Capital city

  • Tehran

;Eyalats

  1. Azerbaijan
  2. Pars
  3. Kerman and Baluchistan
  4. Khorasan and Sistan

;Provinces

  1. Khuzestan
  2. Astarabad (Gorgan)
  3. Damavand
  4. Gerrus (Bijar)
  5. Gilan
  6. Golpayegan
  7. Hamadan
  8. Iraq (Arak)
  9. Isfahan
  10. Kashan
  11. Khamseh (Zanjan)
  12. Kermanshahan (Kermanshah)
  13. Kurdistan
  14. Luristan
  15. Malayer
  16. Mazandaran
  17. Qazvin
  18. Qom
  19. Saveh
  20. Semnan and Damghan
  21. Shahrud and Bastam
  22. Yazd

In 1937, Iran was reorganized to form ten numbered provinces with subordinate governorates: Gilan, Mazandaran, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, Pars, Kerman, Khorasan, and Isfahan.

Iran has had a historical claim to Bahrain as its 14th province: Bahrain province, which was under British colonial occupation until 1971. Prior to 1957, Bahrain was placed under Pars province. During the Safavid era, Bahrain was subordinate to Bushehr governorship and Zubarah (located in modern-day country of Qatar) was its capital city. In 1737, during the Afsharid era, Bahrain was made subject to Pars governorship. This claim was reasserted by the new theocratic Iranian leadership after 1979 with the famous 1981 coup attempt that occurred.

From 1960 to 1981, the governorates were gradually raised to provincial status one by one. Since then several new provinces have been created, most recently in 2010 when the new Alborz province was split from Tehran province, and before that in 2004 when the province of Khorasan was divided into three provinces.

600px|thumb|center|23 provinces of Iran in 1974

600px|thumb|center|Map of the 31 provinces of Iran

Provinces by population and GDP

According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, between 2017 and 2019, some 11 of the 20 poorest Iranian cities were in the province of Sistan and Baluchestan. Three other markedly poor cities were located in Kerman province.

none|Iran population broken down by province

803x803px

Current provinces

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+

Iranian provinces along with additional information and statistics

|- style="background:#ace1af;"

!Province

!Abbreviation

!Capital

!data-sort-type="number"|Population (2023)

!Area (km<sup>2</sup>)

! data-sort-type="number" |Population density (/km<sup>2</sup>)

!Counties

!class="unsortable"|Notes

!class="unsortable"|Map

|-

| Alborz|| AL || Karaj || style="text-align:right" | 2,730,000 || style="text-align:right" | 5,833|| style="text-align:right" | 465.01|| style="text-align:right" |7||Until 23 June 2010, it was part of Tehran province.||80px

|-

| Ardabil|| AR || Ardabil || style="text-align:right" | 1,284,000 || style="text-align:right" | 17,800|| style="text-align:right" | 71.37|| style="text-align:right" |12||Until 1993, it was part of East Azerbaijan province.||80px

|-

| Bushehr|| BU || Bushehr || style="text-align:right" | 1,174,000 || style="text-align:right" | 22,743|| style="text-align:right" | 51.15|| style="text-align:right" |10||Originally part of Pars province. Until 1977, it was known as Khalij-e Pars (Persian Gulf).||80px

|-

| East Azerbaijan|| EA || Tabriz || style="text-align:right" | 3,925,000 || style="text-align:right" | 45,650|| style="text-align:right" | 85.64|| style="text-align:right" |23|| ||80px

|-

| Fars|| FA || Shiraz || style="text-align:right" | 4,904,000 || style="text-align:right" | 122,608|| style="text-align:right" | 39.57|| style="text-align:right" |37|| ||80px

|-

| Gilan|| GN || Rasht || style="text-align:right" | 2,546,000 || style="text-align:right" | 14,042|| style="text-align:right" | 180.22|| style="text-align:right" |17|| ||80px

|-

| Golestan|| GO || Gorgan || style="text-align:right" | 1,893,000 || style="text-align:right" | 20,195|| style="text-align:right" | 92.53|| style="text-align:right" |14||On 31 May 1997, the counties of Aliabad, Gonbad-e Kavus, Gorgan, Kordkuy, Minudasht, and Torkaman were separated from Mazandaran province to form Golestan province. Gorgan was known as Esteraba or Astarabad until 1937.||80px

|-

| Yazd|| YA || Yazd || style="text-align:right" | 1,156,000 || style="text-align:right" | 76,469|| style="text-align:right" | 14.89|| style="text-align:right" |12||Originally part of Isfahan province.

See also

  • List of current Iran governors-general
  • List of Iranian provinces by Human Development Index
  • Administrative divisions of Iran
  • Regions of Iran
  • Counties of Iran
  • Geography of Iran
  • ISO 3166-2:IR

References and notes

  • Statistical Centre, Government of Iran
  • Iranian Provinces Investment – trade promotion organization of Iran, affiliated to the Ministry of Commerce (Iran)

; Official provincial websites

  • Ardabil
  • East Azarbaijan
  • West Azarbaijan
  • Bushehr
  • Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari
  • Fars
  • Gilan
  • Golestan
  • Hamadan
  • Hormozgan
  • Ilam
  • Isfahan
  • Kerman
  • Kermanshah
  • North Khorasan
  • Razavi Khorasan
  • South Khorasan
  • Khuzestan
  • Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad
  • Kurdistan
  • Lorestan
  • Markazi
  • Mazandaran
  • Qazvin
  • Qom
  • Semnan
  • Sistan and Baluchestan
  • Tehran
  • Yazd
  • Zanjan