Estimating the Contribution of Ocean Economy in the National Economy of Iran

The importance of the contribution of ocean economy in national economy has measured by some countries in last thirty years. The economic measurements are necessities for understanding the role of oceans and coasts in social and economic life. Iran with 5800 km coastline along the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman (include islands) has ranked as 40th country in the world. According to this opportunity, improving the coastal areas development is one of the main goals for decision makers. The ocean economy in Iran is included all ocean dependent activities in coastal provinces. The main problem for doing this was the lack of data for ocean economic and marine activities as a whole. So with the most relevant data which are reported by government agents, this share is calculated. The results show that contribution of ocean economy in national economy is about 2.07 percent and about 1.16 percent if offshore oil and gas not included. Less than one percent of employment is defined in coastal economies. According to the length of Iran’s coastline, this contribution could be more than this and it needs a plan for coastal development.