More than 2,000 people have reportedly been killed in Iran since December, but the unrest did not emerge overnight. It has been steadily building and has remained consistent throughout the past year.
Data compiled by the US-based HRANA group shows that 2,294 organised protests took place across 31 provinces in Iran in 2025. The majority were linked to economic grievances, with union-organised and worker-led demonstrations accounting for the largest share. Most centred on unpaid salaries, wage delays, or disputes over declining purchasing power. Smaller numbers of protests were linked to market and stock-related fraud, student activism, environmental concerns and restrictions on freedom of expression.
The scope of wage-related unrest reflects the speed at which living standards have deteriorated. One US dollar is now worth around 1.45 million Iranian rials, up from about 820,000 rials a year earlier. As a result, the monthly wage of an average full-time worker is now worth just over $100.
With inflation on wages has also come soaring of costs of living, with food particularly susceptible. According to data from the World Food Programme, the average price of a kilo of rice rose by more than 900 per cent between April 2022 and November 2025. Basic food items can now easily account for an entire monthly income. Savings have been eroded, while food and medicines have become scarce or unaffordable for many households.
What began as an economic crisis in Iran has become a broader social and infrastructure crisis. Water and electricity cuts have become more frequent, and the impact is no longer confined to those on the margins. Large sections of Iran’s urban middle classes are now suffering the fallout, helping to explain why protest activity has remained widespread and persistent throughout the year.
