Oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran
Iran: Oil reserves, per square kilometre was 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre in 2021. ▲ Rising
Oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran, 1980–2021
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in cubic meters per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2021, oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran stood at 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre. That is the highest value across all 42 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 34.1% on the previous year and up 52.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran peaked at 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre in 2021 and was at its lowest, 4,673 cubic meters per square kilometre, in 1986.
That places Iran 8th out of 201 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 42 years of available data.
Oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran, year by year
| Year | cubic meters per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 5,662 cubic meters per square kilometre | — |
| 1981 | 5,613 cubic meters per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 1982 | 5,564 cubic meters per square kilometre | -0.9% |
| 1983 | 5,399 cubic meters per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1984 | 4,978 cubic meters per square kilometre | -7.8% |
| 1985 | 4,734 cubic meters per square kilometre | -4.9% |
| 1986 | 4,673 cubic meters per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1987 | 4,763 cubic meters per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1988 | 9,063 cubic meters per square kilometre | +90.3% |
| 1989 | 9,063 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 9,064 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 9,063 cubic meters per square kilometre | -0.0% |
| 1992 | 9,064 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 9,064 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 9,064 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 8,712 cubic meters per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 1996 | 8,609 cubic meters per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1997 | 9,078 cubic meters per square kilometre | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 9,078 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | -3.5% |
| 2000 | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 12,280 cubic meters per square kilometre | +40.2% |
| 2005 | 12,280 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 12,930 cubic meters per square kilometre | +5.3% |
| 2007 | 13,302 cubic meters per square kilometre | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 13,510 cubic meters per square kilometre | +1.6% |
| 2009 | 13,290 cubic meters per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 13,433 cubic meters per square kilometre | +1.1% |
| 2011 | 13,374 cubic meters per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 14,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | +10.3% |
| 2013 | 15,089 cubic meters per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 15,354 cubic meters per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 15,403 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 15,377 cubic meters per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 15,522 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 15,404 cubic meters per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 15,247 cubic meters per square kilometre | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 15,247 cubic meters per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre | +34.1% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 78.65 cubic meters per square kilometre, 259.9× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Iran's 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 814.38 cubic meters per square kilometre, 25.1× the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +90.3% | 4,763 cubic meters per square kilometre | 9,063 cubic meters per square kilometre |
| 2004 | +40.2% | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | 12,280 cubic meters per square kilometre |
| 2021 | +34.1% | 15,247 cubic meters per square kilometre | 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 5,951 cubic meters per square kilometre | 4,673 cubic meters per square kilometre | 9,063 cubic meters per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 8,955 cubic meters per square kilometre | 8,609 cubic meters per square kilometre | 9,078 cubic meters per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 11,261 cubic meters per square kilometre | 8,756 cubic meters per square kilometre | 13,510 cubic meters per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,896 cubic meters per square kilometre | 13,374 cubic meters per square kilometre | 15,522 cubic meters per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 17,844 cubic meters per square kilometre | 15,247 cubic meters per square kilometre | 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iran
- 5 Iraq 53,109 cubic meters per square kilometre compare
- 6 Bahrain 37,533 cubic meters per square kilometre compare
- 7 Brunei 33,185 cubic meters per square kilometre compare
- 9 Saudi Arabia 19,126 cubic meters per square kilometre compare
- 10 Azerbaijan 13,465 cubic meters per square kilometre compare
- 11 Trinidad and Tobago 7,530 cubic meters per square kilometre compare
More energy & mining data for Iran
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 0.5768 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Fuel imports 2.0% (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran?
- Oil reserves, per square kilometre in Iran was 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre in 2021, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest oil reserves, per square kilometre recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 20,441 cubic meters per square kilometre in 2021.
- What is the lowest oil reserves, per square kilometre recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,673 cubic meters per square kilometre in 1986.
- How does Iran rank for oil reserves, per square kilometre?
- Iran ranks 8th out of 201 countries with data for 2021.
- Is oil reserves, per square kilometre rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Oil reserves, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 42 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Oil reserves divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Oil reserves ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Oil reserves U.S. Energy Information Administration (2022) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Oil reserves divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.