55 Mosques for Every School or Hospital
The number of mosques in Iran is at least 55 times higher than the number of public, semi-public, and private hospitals, Iran Open Data research shows.
Official statistics show that access to mosques is easier than access to schools in three provinces, and higher than the access to hospital beds in two provinces.
Despite a paucity of official data on the total number of mosques in Iran, religious and propaganda institutions estimate this number to be between 55,000 to 79,000.
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As the chart shows, most estimates are based on general figures provided by religious and propaganda organizations including the Guidance Foundation, which generates a statistical report based on the assessment and evaluation of provincial mosque activities.
The Guidance Foundation presents itself as a "private institution”, but its board of trustees is led by the head of the Islamic Propagation Organization. Iranian media introduces it as a new organization under the Islamic Propagation Organization responsible for mosque affairs.
In 2021, the Guidance Foundation evaluated the activities of 54,770 mosques. Among these, 2,766 mosques were classified as “highly active”, 19,524 mosques as “active”, 16,006 mosques as “relatively active”, 9,789 mosques as “weak”, and 6,685 mosques as “inactive”. The exact criteria for classifying the activity of mosques is not specified, but it appears that “activity” refers to the organized religious, propagandistic, and cultural events.
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The provinces of Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, Kerman, and Fars each have more than 3,000 mosques. On the other hand, the provinces of Alborz, Qazvin, Zanjan, and Ilam have the lowest number of mosques, with each having fewer than 500 mosques.
Taking population into account, on average, there are 65.2 mosques per 100,000 people.
The distribution of access to mosques is not uniform across the provinces. For example, South Khorasan province has the highest rate, with 264 mosques per 100,000. The provinces of Yazd, and Ardabil follow closely. The provinces of Alborz, Tehran, and Qazvin have the lowest access rate, with 16, 12, and 4 mosques per 100,000, respectively.
Chart and Map Link
This contrasts with the number of schools and hospitals presented in the 2021 Statistical Yearbook of Iran. In this yearbook, the number of schools (including primary and secondary schools) is approximately 114,000. The total number of hospitals (including private and public hospitals), is 1,020, with a total of 141,000 active hospital beds.
Infographics Link
An analysis of the provincial numbers reveals that in South Khorasan, Yazd, and Markazi, access to mosques is better than access to schools. In South Khorasan and Markazi, access to mosques is also better than access to hospitals.
