Iran's executive cultural bodies receive 1.75% of general budget spending in the 1405 (2026/27) bill, against 4.8% in Saudi Arabia and 1.28% in Turkey.
Source: Islamic Parliament Research Center, report No. 21565 · Namafar
These figures come from report No. 21565, which Namafar prepared for the Islamic Parliament Research Center and which was published in May 2026. The report compares Iran's 1405 (2026/27) budget bill with the 2025 budgets of Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, South Korea and Turkey.
According to the report, executive bodies in culture receive 1.75% of general budget spending in Iran's 1405 bill, about 104 thousand billion tomans. Saudi Arabia has the highest share among the six countries, at 4.8%, and Turkey the lowest, at 1.28%.
| Country | General budget (US$ billion) | Cultural budget (US$ billion) | Share of general budget (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 315.7 | 15.3 | 4.8 |
| Singapore | 91.7 | 2.7 | 2.95 |
| United Arab Emirates | 136.1 | 2.39 | 1.76 |
| Iran | 148.4 | 0.85 | 1.74 |
| South Korea | 483.9 | 6.3 | 1.3 |
| Turkey | 342.3 | 4.39 | 1.28 |
Executive bodies in culture, covering the budget sections for religion, Islamic guidance and endowments, culture and arts, and media, receive 1.75% of general budget spending, about 104 thousand billion tomans.
The budget function for recreation, culture and religion totals 1,061,230,029 million rials (about 106 thousand billion tomans), 37.7% more than in the approved 1404 (2025/26) budget.
Without its sports and recreation services chapter, the same function totals 811,357,504 million rials (about 81 thousand billion tomans), or 1.37% of general budget spending.
The report's text gives Iran's share as 1.75%; table 6 of the same report gives 1.74%. The text figure is used above.
Dollar amounts for Iran use the rate given in the report, 123 thousand tomans per US dollar. Figures for the other five countries come from their 2025 budget documents, as cited in the report.
1.75% of general budget spending in the 1405 (2026/27) budget bill, about 104 thousand billion tomans, according to report No. 21565 for the Islamic Parliament Research Center.
Saudi Arabia, at 4.8% of general budget spending in 2025, among the six countries compared in report No. 21565.