BORUJERD

ii. Population, 1956-2011

This article deals with the following population characteristics of Borujerd city: population growth from 1956 to 2011, age structure, average household size, literacy rate, and economic activity status for 2006 and/or 2011 (different dates for the categories are determined by the availability of census data).

Population growth. Borujerd has experienced a rather moderate rate of population growth except during the Iran-Iraq War (iraq vii.), increasing nearly fivefold from a population of 49,186 in 1956 to 240,654 in 2011. During the period 1956-76, the average annual growth rate was 3.68 percent, and the population grew from 49,186 to 101,345 people. From 1976 to 1986, the population growth rate of Borujerd reached the value of 6.14 percent per year as the population leaped to 183,879 people. Since Borujerd was one of the safer cities in the country during the Iran-Iraq War, this increase may be attributed in part to war-related population movements. As the war came to an end (i.e., after the cease-fire of 1988) the population growth rate for Borujerd dropped to 1.80 percent per year between 1986 and 1991 and to 1.62 percent per year between 1991 and 1996. The population of Borujerd reached 201,016 in 1991 and 217,804 in 1996. Since then, the annual population growth rate for Borujerd has continued to decrease, falling to 0.53 percent between 1996 and 2006 and to 0.95 percent between 2006 and 2011, as the population grew slowly from 217,804 in 1996 to 229,541 in 2006 and to 240,654 in 2011 (Table 1).

Age structure. The population of Borujerd can still be considered as young. In 2011 almost 72.4 percent of the population was in the activity ages of 15 to 64; another 20.3 percent were below 15 years of age, and only 7.3 percent were 65 and over. This age structure is clearly older than that of all urban areas as a whole. The age structure in 2006 was somewhat younger than that in 2011 but older than that of urban areas as a whole (Table 2).

Average household size. In 2006, the average household size in the city of Borujerd was 3.9 persons per household (National Census, 2006; SCI, 2010, p. 86), which was almost the same as the average of 3.89 for urban areas as a whole (SCI, 2009b, p. 50). In 2011 the average size declined to 3.35 persons per household (SCI, 2014), not significantly lower than the average size of 3.48 for the urban areas as a whole (SCI, 2014).

Literacy rate. In 2006, almost 85.9 percent of the populations of Borujerd six years of age and over were literate. The literacy ratio was significantly higher for males (89.7 percent) than for females (82.1 percent; SCI, 2010, Table 4, p. 145).  Comparison to urban areas in general, either for both sexes (88.9 percent) or for each sex (92.2 percent for males and 85.6 percent for females; SCI, 2009b, pp. 223, 225, 227), clearly suggests lower literacy rate in Borujerd.

Economic activity status. In 2006, almost 86.8 percent of the population of Borujerd or 199,229 people were in the activity ages (i.e., 10 years of age and over), of whom 36.9 percent were economically active and 63.1 percent inactive, while the status of the rest (0.6 percent) was unknown (SCI, 2010, p. 179). The activity ratio in Borujerd is lower than the national average ratio for cities (38.8 percent, SCI, 2009b, p. 35). Employment and unemployment ratio in Borujerd is estimated at 82.4 percent and 17.6 percent of the active population (i.e., of 36.9 percent of the population 10 years of age and over). These figures indicate the ratio of employment in Borujerd is lower than that in urban areas in the country as a whole (Table 3).

Bibliography (for cited works not given in detail, see the EIr Short Titles): 

National Census, Borujerd Sub-province, 1956, 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006, and 2011.

SCI (Statistical Center of Iran [Markaz-e āmār-e Irān]), Tawziʿ wa ṭabaqa-bandi-e jamʿiyat-e šahrhā-ye kešvar dar saršomārihā-ye 1335-75 [years 1956-1996], wa taṭbiq-e tawziʿ-e joḡrāfiāʾi-e jamʿiyat-e ostānhā 1382 [year 2003], Tehran, 2003.

Idem, Natāyej-e saršomāri-e ʿomumi-e nofus va maskan-e 1385 [year 2006], jamʿiyat-e šahrhā-ye kešvar bar ḥasab-e sen va jens, koll-e kešvar III, Tehran, 2009a. 

Idem, Saršomari-e ʿomumi-e nofus va maskan-e 1385 [year 2006], natāyej-e tafṣili, koll-e kešva I, part 1, Tehran, 2009b.

Idem, Gozida-ye namāgarhā-ye jamʿiyati-e šahrhā-ye kešvar bar asās-e natāyej-e saršomāri-e ʿomumi-e nofus va maskan-e 1385 [year 2006], Tehran, 2010.

Idem, “2011 Census Selected Results—UNFPA Iran,” electronically published, 2014; available at http://iran.unfpa.org/view_news.asp?id=248 (accessed 15 June 2015).