Economic crisis, high inflation and the collapse of the rial have driven a number of Iranians to Armenia in search of work; a country that for years was a holiday destination for Iranians has now become a source of income for some. In a report from Yerevan, the Armenian capital, on Tuesday 6 October 2026, Iran International described Iranians working in construction, app-based taxis and food delivery.
According to the outlet, Iranians in Armenia work in jobs such as steel fixing, block laying and electrical wiring on building sites, driving for the Yandex ride-hailing app, food delivery, as well as in online casinos and the entertainment sector. Many of them send a large share of their earnings to their families in Iran.
Iranian workers in Yerevan tell their stories
As Iran International reported, Ahmad, a 47-year-old man from Sanandaj, started working in Armenia in construction for a daily wage of 7,000 Armenian drams, about 19 dollars, and later used his savings to switch to driving an app-based taxi in order to support his family in Iran. Reza, a young man from Karaj, went to Armenia two months ago and works in construction without a formal contract to help his retired father.
These workers cited high rents, not knowing the Armenian language and banking restrictions on Iranian nationals as their main difficulties.
Figures on Iranian travel and residence in Armenia
According to figures cited by Iran International, the number of Iranian tourists visiting Armenia rose from 176,453 in 2024 to 182,364 in 2025, and with 8.1 percent Iranians were the third-largest group of foreign tourists in the country after Russians and Georgians. In the first half of 2026, construction activity in Armenia grew by 24.5 percent and 8,181 foreign nationals received temporary residence, 6,085 of them on the basis of employment; Iran, together with Vietnam, China and India, was among the leading applicants for work-based residence.
This labour migration comes as the rial has fallen to its lowest level in history and a wave of nurses and teachers quitting their jobs continues in Iran.
Armenia, once a holiday destination for Iranians, has now become a place of work and a way to support their families for some of them.
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