Overview & Purpose

Iran:

• 76,923,300= Population
• 98= Percentage of Muslims
• 70= Percentage of population under 35 years old
• 23,000,000 Internet users
• 1st Internet use rank in the Middle East
• 1st Drug addiction per capita in the world
• 3rd Blog user rank in the world
• 50-70= Percentage of Iranians who have access to satellite TV

The Situation
Iran is a closed country that does not offer religious freedom to its people.  The leaders of Iran are openly stating that the end of the world is imminent while they build their reserve of nuclear weapons each day.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 people in the world are Muslim, making Islam the world’s second largest religion. Islamic law states that it is criminal for a Muslim to convert to Christianity and it is in fact punishable by death. There is a countless number of Muslims that wake up each day without hope, peace, the knowledge of redemption or the assurance of salvation. They are hungry for truth and there is an unprecedented openness to the gospel message.

Violence and crime are on the rise as Iran has the highest drug per capita in the world. Out of desperation, people are turning to drugs and prostitution to escape the pain of their seemingly hopeless situation.

With the prevalence of crime and addiction, there is a growing public opinion that that something is fundamentally wrong with Islam and people are seeking change in multiple ways: politically, spiritually and culturally.

In this unique season of the spiritual revolution Iran Alive Ministries has the opportunity to greatly impact the next generation of Iranians who are desperately searching for the transformation of their country.


Demographics of Iran
Iran is officially known as the Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly Persia, and is in the 10/40 Window, an area of the world that contains the largest population of non-Christians.

Iran's population experienced incredible growth in the later half of the 20th century, and is currently home to over 76 million people. More then 70% of the population is under the age of 35, one quarter being under the age of 15. Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service ventures. Its economic infrastructure has been improving steadily over the past two decades but continues to be affected by inflation and unemployment.

Iran is populated with 98% Muslims. 90% belong to the Shi'a branch of Islam, the official religion of the country, and about 8% belong to the Sunni branch, which predominates in neighboring Muslim countries. The other 2% of the population is made up of Zoroastrians, Jews, Bahais, and Christians, etc. Non-Muslim minorities have been shrinking in the past few decades as they have been leaving Iran due to persecution.