IRAN INTERNATIONAL -- Iran’s Central Bank’s latest quarterly report shows capital flight hit a historic peak in the spring of 2025, underscoring the depth of the country’s financial strain.
The report, published on the Bank’s website, puts the capital account balance in the first quarter of the fiscal year (beginning March 21) at around minus $9 billion, the highest outflow ever recorded.
Last year, capital flight totaled about $20.7 billion, triple the figure in 2020. If this year’s pace continues, outflows could reach $36 billion by March 2026, roughly 10 percent of Iran’s GDP.
It remains unclear how much of the current exodus reflects ordinary citizens moving savings abroad versus businessmen or individuals close to power.