Iran’s Non-Targeted Subsidies to GDP Ratio Highest in NENA

EghtesadOnline: Iran ranks first among countries in the Near East and North Africa region when it comes to fuel and food non-targeted subsidies as a percentage of GDP, according to a new FAO report published on Dec. 21.

News ID: ۷۸۰۸۹۰

25 December 2017

The 2017 edition of the Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition in the Near East and North Africa said the ratio of universal fuel and food subsidies to GDP between 2008 and 2013 stood at 21.4% in Iran, followed by Saudi Arabia (9.5%) and Libya (9.2%).

The report also shows 96.2% of the Iranian population used improved drinking-water sources in 2015 compared with 94.1% in 2000 and 92.2% in 1990. Moreover, 90% of the country’s population used improved sanitation facilities in 2015 compared with 78.9% in 2000 and 71.4% in 1990.

NENA countries include Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the UAE and Yemen, according to Financial Tribune.