Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has hailed efforts by the government and other institutions in Iran to boost birth rate in the country as he asks for more support to programs meant to tackle Irans demographic challenges.
In a message to the First Summit of Irans National Population Headquarters on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei said that finding solutions to the problem of Irans rapidly aging population is among the most vital tasks facing officials in the country.
I insist once more that trying to increase birth rate and making the countrys workforce younger and supporting the families are among the most vital duties facing authorities and people, read part of the message.
In a speech to the Summit, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed his administration will introduce more financial incentives, including cheap loans and affordable housing, to boost Irans birth rate.
Raisi added that his government will launch campaigns to inform the public about the incentives.
Iran had made significant success in its demographic programs until the year to March 2020 when birth rate in the country dropped by 0.2 points to 1.6, one of the lowest in 8 years.
The figures caused the government to offer more incentives to the couples, including free fertility treatment and other allowances and payments, to reverse the trend.
Estimates by the SCI shows Irans population would reach 88.358 million in 2026 and 95.278 million in 2036.