Price Shock: The Pulse of the Cost of Living Crisis
A detailed market analysis of pulses—staples like beans, lentils, and chickpeas—reveals a dramatic and sustained price surge over the past four years, significantly outpacing wage growth and contributing to economic pressures on households.
A Decade of Change in Four Years
Market data indicates a fundamental shift in pricing patterns. While average price increases for pulses were historically around 30%, the last four years have seen an average cumulative price growth of 100%. Official statistics from the Statistical Center of Iran confirm that from 2021 to 2024, the price of pulses has increased by an average of over 60%, with variations depending on the product and region.
Specific Commodities, Soaring Costs
The price trajectory of individual items highlights the severity of the situation:
- In 2023, the price of red beans rose by 70% in a single year, while the price of lentils increased by over 50%.
- A stark example is pinto beans (lobya chiti), which cost around 50,000 tomans per kilo in 2021 and have now surpassed 450,000 tomans.
- The year 2022 marked a peak, where chickpeas suddenly jumped from approximately 40,000 to 76,000 tomans, and Chinese beans rose from 50,000 to 100,000 tomans.
The Growing Disparity with Wages
A critical aspect of this economic dynamic is the widening gap between the cost of essential goods and worker incomes. In 2022, while inflation for all pulses exceeded 100%, the wages of workers increased by only 27%. This pattern continued into 2023, where the pulse market experienced approximately 60% inflation against a 35% wage increase for workers. Cumulatively, over the past four years, the price of pulses has increased by more than 300%, while workers’ wages have risen by only about 150%.
A Broader Economic Indicator
This trend is part of a larger economic picture. According to an official report from the Statistical Center, the annual inflation rate for consumer goods and services in the first six months of the current Iranian year shows that the “vegetables and pulses” category, with an inflation rate of 66%, recorded the highest price increases over the past year. This underscores the significant role of basic food items in the overall cost of living.