Iranian and foreign publishers at the Tehran International Book Fair, 1367–1402 (1988–2024)

The series begins with 200 Iranian publishers in 1367 (1988/89). The number passed 1,000 for the first time in 1375 (1996/97), when 1,340 publishers took part. It dropped to 740 the following year and returned above 1,000 in 1377 (1998/99). Over the first decade of the series, the count rose sixfold, from 200 to 1,200.

In the nine fairs from 1381 (2002/03), the count stayed between 1,800 and 2,000 in all but one. The exception was 1383 (2004/05), with 1,123 publishers. The count first passed 2,000 in 1390 (2011/12), with 2,376 publishers. It stayed above that level until 1394 (2015/16). In 1395 (2016/17) it fell to 1,886.

Apart from one year, the two most recent fairs had the highest counts in the series. There were 2,800 Iranian publishers in 1401 (2022/23). The next year the count was 2,700, more than thirteen times the 1367 figure. In no other year of the series, except 1396, did the count pass 2,500.

The exception is 1396 (2017/18), when the series records 4,132 Iranian publishers. That is about twice the count in the years on either side. The series gives no explanation, so this analysis treats the figure with caution and leaves it out of the chart.

The first fair in the series had 196 foreign publishers and agencies, almost as many as the Iranian publishers. In the early years foreign exhibitors often outnumbered Iranian ones. The foreign count first passed 500 in 1371 (1992/93), with 565 publishers and agencies. In 1372 (1993/94), for example, 700 foreign publishers and agencies took part, against 526 Iranian publishers.

Foreign numbers then fell for several years, to 312 in 1378 (1999/00). They reached 1,200 in 1383 (2004/05), more than the 1,123 Iranian publishers that year. In 1384 (2005/06) the count fell back to 756. After 1372, it was one of only two years in which foreign exhibitors outnumbered Iranian ones. The other was 1395.

The foreign count often swung widely from one fair to the next. It reached 1,400 in 1388 (2009/10) and fell to 980 the following year. It then rose to 1,614 in 1390 (2011/12).

From 1390 (2011/12) to 1395 (2016/17), foreign participation stayed at 1,600 or more every year. It rose each year from 1391 and peaked at 1,900 in 1395.

The foreign count fell to 1,400 in 1396 (2017/18). The next year it was 550, about 60% lower than in 1396. It rose to 800 in 1398 (2019/20), the last fair before the two online years.

In 1401 (2022/23), after the online years, 170 foreign publishers and agencies took part. In 1402 (2023/24) the number was 100, about one twentieth of the 1395 peak. It was also below the 196 recorded at the first fair in the series.

A Namafar analysis of the decline of foreign publishers at the fair looks at this fall in more detail.

The number of countries has moved less steadily than the number of publishers. The first fair in the series drew publishers from 32 countries. The count stayed below 40 until 1381 (2002/03). It then rose and reached a high of 80 in 1389 (2010/11). The same figure was recorded in 1391 (2012/13).

The years from 1385 (2006/07) to 1392 (2013/14) had the widest international reach in the series. In each of these eight fairs, at least 66 countries took part.

In 1393 (2014/15) the series records 16 countries, against 77 a year earlier. Foreign publishers and agencies numbered 1,800 that year, more than in 1392. The two series moved in opposite directions, and the source gives no explanation.

Since 1393 the count of countries has stayed between 16 and 40. After the online years, 32 countries took part in 1401 (2022/23). The next year the count was 40, the highest since 1392.

The number of foreign exhibitors per country has changed far more. In 1395 (2016/17) there were about 90 foreign publishers and agencies for each country taking part. In 1401 (2022/23) there were about five per country. In 1402 the figure was 2.5.

Until 1398 (2019/20), Iranian publishers never outnumbered foreign exhibitors by more than four to one. The ratio was highest in 1375 (1996/97), at about four Iranian publishers for each foreign publisher or agency. In the six fairs from 1390 (2011/12), there were never more than about one and a half Iranian publishers per foreign one.

In 1395 (2016/17) the two counts were almost equal, with 14 more foreign exhibitors than Iranian publishers. The ratio rose to about 16 to one in 1401 (2022/23). In 1402 it was 27 to one.

The change came mostly from the foreign side of the count. In the fairs held since 1397 (2018/19), the number of Iranian publishers stayed between 2,100 and 2,800. Taken together, Iranian and foreign exhibitors numbered 3,786 in 1395. In 1402 the combined figure was 2,800. Foreign publishers and agencies made up half of all exhibitors in 1395 and less than 4% in 1402.

The table gives the three series for the fairs since 1392 (2013/14), and the full series from 1367 is available as a CSV file. The series do not cover visitors or sales. A Namafar infographic examines whether sales at the fair really rose by a reported 57.3%.