579 women and 386 children among 3,519 civilian deaths, Iranian report says

Islamabad: A report released by Iran’s Vice Presidency of Women and Family Affairs claims that military attacks during what it calls the “Ramadan War” killed 3,519 civilians, including 579 women and 386 children, and injured more than 30,000 people. The report also claims that 1,489 schools were destroyed or hit, 30 universities and higher education centres were seriously damaged, and 138,000 civilian buildings suffered damage.

The report, titled “Women’s Progress: The Narrative of Today’s Iran,” says 5,046 women and 1,997 children were among those injured. It further states that 113,000 of the damaged buildings were residential, forcing tens of thousands of families to leave their homes or lose their shelter. These casualty and damage figures are claims made in the Iranian government report and are not independently verified within the document.

The report describes widespread damage to health facilities, including 71 hospitals, 245 health centres and 63 emergency centres. It says 24 medical staff were killed and 118 injured. It also claims that two Red Crescent rescuers were killed, 92 were injured, 47 operational vehicles and two rescue helicopters were destroyed, and 82 Red Crescent warehouses were damaged.

The report argues that attacks on schools, hospitals and residential areas have affected families, women and children and threatened access to education, healthcare and basic services. It presents the destruction as a serious setback for civilian welfare, human rights and future development.

Alongside its account of the conflict, the 44 page document presents Iran’s official claims about women’s progress in education, healthcare, business, sport, government leadership, social protection and culture. It portrays women’s participation as an important part of the country’s development, while describing programmes intended to improve economic security and public services for vulnerable families.

In education, the report says women make up nearly 52 percent of university students and around 46 percent of the PhD student population. It also reports that women account for 62 percent of teachers across the educational levels listed in its data.

The document says women’s literacy among those aged 10 to 49 has reached 76.9 percent and that the gender gap in education has narrowed. It highlights women’s participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as postgraduate research. However, it also acknowledges that women hold around 22 percent of academic faculty positions in universities, showing that their participation in higher education does not translate into the same level of representation in academic careers.

The report also points to the growing presence of women in scientific research. It says the number of Iranian women among the world’s top one percent of highly cited scientists rose from 81 to 177, an increase of about 118 percent. It lists women working in basic sciences, humanities, arts and architecture and highlights international scientific awards received by Iranian researchers.

In technology and business, the report says women hold 25 percent of leadership positions in knowledge based companies and manage 24 percent of laboratories in the country’s strategic technology network. Women are also said to account for 24 percent of the country’s inventors.

The document records 4,133 women serving as chief executive officers of knowledge based companies, 5,776 active women’s cooperatives and around 12,000 women owned companies operating in sectors such as agriculture, industry and architecture. It also says the women’s start up entrepreneurship index increased by 17 percent, with about 8.2 female entrepreneurs for every 10 male entrepreneurs.

Healthcare is another major section. The report places women’s life expectancy at 78 years and says women make up 98 percent of obstetricians and gynaecologists. It states that female medical and midwifery staff attend more than 95 percent of births nationwide.

Women are reported to represent 44 percent of medical specialist physicians and 35 percent of medical subspecialists. The document says maternal mortality has fallen to 16 deaths per 100,000 live births, a reduction of more than 90 percent compared with previous decades. It also reports skilled medical attendance at more than 98.5 percent of births and childhood vaccination coverage above 99 percent.

According to the report, pregnant women and children under five have full health insurance coverage regardless of financial status, and 114,853 in vitro fertilisation procedures have been carried out to treat infertility. It also lists screening programmes for newborns and expectant mothers and services intended to improve reproductive health.

Women’s participation in sport has also increased, according to the document. The number of organised female athletes rose from 934,594 in 2021 to 1,877,652 in 2025, representing growth of about 100.9 percent. The report compares this with a 43.9 percent increase in male participation over the same period.

It also records an increase in women coaches and referees. The number of international level female coaches rose from 379 in 2017 to 946 in 2025. National level female coaches increased from 129 to 366, while the number of international level female referees rose from 135 to 230.

The report says Iran was selected by the International Paralympic Committee in 2025 as the “World’s Best Country in the Development of Women’s Paralympic Sports.” It also highlights the participation of female athletes with disabilities in international competitions.

In government and senior management, the document says more than 2,750 women were appointed to executive bodies since the beginning of the 14th government. It lists women serving as deputy ministers, directors general, state company board members, county governors, district administrators, mayors and village administrators. It also says more than 8,000 women received specialised training in management and decision making.

The report gives particular attention to support for women headed households, rural women and women with disabilities. It says that from 2022 to August 2024, more than 4,500 loan applications from women-headed households were reviewed, 1,876 were put forward for loan guarantees and around 500 households obtained banking facilities.

It also records membership of more than 60,000 women in 2,000 rural and nomadic cooperatives and annual entrepreneurship training for 300,000 rural and nomadic women. For women with disabilities, the document reports skills training for 459,161 people across 31 provinces and more than 1,300 daily educational rehabilitation centres for children with disabilities under 14.

The report says women held 21.8 percent of managing director positions in the country’s press in 2025. Their share among publishing creators and translators increased from 32.2 percent in 2016 to 42.7 percent in 2025.

The document concludes that women’s participation in education, healthcare, business, culture and leadership is central to Iran’s future development. It calls for continued support, stronger social protection and wider participation in decision making, while arguing that war damage and the loss of civilian infrastructure make these goals more difficult to achieve.