Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 22/ Trend F.Milad/
The Statistical Centre of Iran has reported that the country's growth rate in the past calendar year which ended on March 20, 2011, stood at 6.5 per cent including the oil sector.
Excluding the oil sector the growth rate also hit 6.5 per cent; the Fars news agency quoted the report as saying.
This is while Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Shamseddin Hosseini has put the country's growth rate at 5.8 per cent including the oil sector and 6.1 per cent excluding the oil sector.
Moreover, the Central Bank of Iran had previously announced that economic growth in the previous year stood at 3.5 per cent including the oil sector and 4.3 per cent excluding it.
The World Bank has predicted that the economic growth figures in the Islamic Republic will double this year. According to World Bank predictions, Iran's gross national product will rise by 6.7 per cent in 2011 compared to the 6.1 per cent rise in 2010.
Iran is the 26th largest economy in the world in terms of nominal GDP and 17th in terms of purchasing power parity globally according to the International Monetary Fund