Iran is officially a Shia Muslim country, specifically following the Twelver (Ithna Ashari) branch of Shia Islam, and this is written into its state system and constitution.

Quick Scoop: What type of Muslim is Iran?

  • The official state religion of Iran is Twelver Shia Islam (a branch of Shia Islam).
  • The majority of Muslims in Iran are Shia; estimates generally put around 85–90% (or more) of Muslims in Iran as Twelver Shia.
  • A minority (roughly 7–10%) are Sunni Muslims , including many Kurds, Baluch, Turkmen and some Arabs and Persians.
  • Within Sunnis, common schools of law in Iran include Hanafi and Shafi‘i , especially among Baluch, Turkmen, and many Kurds.
  • Iran also has non‑Muslim minorities such as Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians, which are officially recognized, plus other smaller or less‑recognized groups.

A bit of context

Historically, much of Iran was once majority Sunni, but from the Safavid period (16th century) onward, the state actively promoted Twelver Shia Islam , which gradually became the dominant identity and later the official religion of the modern Iranian state. Today, when people say “Iran is a Shia Muslim country,” they almost always mean this Twelver Shia tradition tied closely to Iran’s political and religious institutions.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.