Kolbar Workers: Iran’s Struggle Against Poverty, Peril, and Oppression at the Border

In Iran’s western borderlands, the term kolbari describes a harsh reality for many individuals struggling to survive amid systemic poverty and state neglect. This practice of carrying heavy goods across treacherous mountain paths has become a desperate means of survival for tens of thousands, particularly in the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan.

Once viewed as an informal trading tradition, kolbari now starkly symbolizes the profound levels of poverty and inequality that have plagued these regions. Human rights organizations estimate that more than 70,000 people rely on kolbari as their primary source of income, with many participants being young men, including university graduates, who are faced with bleak job prospects due to neglect from Tehran’s economic policies.

The Deadly Road to Survival

Kolbars endure perilous journeys through steep and freezing mountain paths, often facing temperatures that drop below minus ten degrees Celsius. Carrying loads that can weigh up to 60 kilograms, their lives are constantly at risk due to:

• Falls
• Avalanches
• Frostbite
• Gunfire from border guards

According to human rights data, between 2012 and October 2025, at least 2,574 kolbars have been killed or injured while traversing Iran’s western borders. This includes 656 fatalities and 1,918 injuries. The trend has seen a rise, particularly with casualties peaking between 2017 and 2024. The year 2023 recorded the highest toll, while the slight decline observed in 2025 is misleading; it is attributed not to improved conditions, but rather to the regime’s increased militarization of border areas.

Militarization, Not Reform

Since 2023, the Iranian regime has intensified its militarization efforts along the border. This includes:

• Expansion of military outposts
• Installation of barbed-wire fences
• Closure of traditional mountain routes

Rather than alleviating the challenges faced by kolbars, these measures have forced them into even more dangerous and remote paths, significantly increasing their risk of death. In an attempt to regulate the situation, the regime has introduced a so-called “border crossing card” system, which supposedly allows residents to transport limited goods through designated routes. However, kolbars and activists argue that this program serves as a façade, offering no legal protection or real economic relief. Many workers, faced with corruption or restrictive quotas, are compelled to revert to illegal and perilous routes.

Human rights advocates contend that this card system is merely a tool for economic control, designed to keep border residents dependent on the regime while discouraging them from advocating for genuine economic rights.

A Symptom of Structural Poverty

Economic experts characterize kolbari as a direct consequence of structural poverty and systemic regional discrimination. The western provinces of Iran experience the highest unemployment rates and the lowest development levels in the country. With few factories and unfinished infrastructure projects, thousands of families find kolbari not just as an option, but as their only source of income.

The state’s response over the past 14 years has been one of systematic repression. The surge in casualties in 2023 and the subsequent apparent decline in 2025 do not indicate policy improvements but instead reflect the closure of traditional routes due to militarization. Each new restriction forces kolbars to navigate even riskier paths—over cliffs, through minefields, and across freezing ridges—in their quest for survival.

Silence, Denial, and Censorship

The Iranian regime remains silent on the true scale of the kolbari crisis, publishing no data on the number of kolbars, their deaths, or the types of goods they carry. All available information stems from field investigations, family testimonies, and human rights reports, highlighting the regime’s deliberate attempts to censor and securitize this issue.

Analysts assert that kolbari should not be considered a profession but rather a form of coercion. Through mechanisms like the border card system, the regime institutionalizes dependence, effectively suppressing dissent. As one observer noted, “A man who becomes a kolbar no longer demands anything from the state—he’s too busy staying alive.”

Children Among the Dead

Tragically, the phenomenon of kolbari has also drawn in children and teenagers, with rights groups documenting cases of minors among those killed or injured. While state media often labels kolbars as “smugglers,” for communities on the border, kolbari represents a means of survival—a life devoid of safety, insurance, or hope for the future.

A National Wound Ignored

Despite years of criticism from civil society and local activists, the Iranian regime has failed to provide any meaningful solutions. Instead, it has deepened its militarized approach, transforming border regions into security zones rather than areas ripe for development.

As poverty, repression, and neglect intertwine, kolbari embodies far more than mere economic desperation. It reflects a state that has forsaken its citizens, criminalizing their struggle for survival while offering no path toward dignity.

In contemporary Iran, kolbari has evolved into more than just a job—it has become a sentence. As long as structural poverty and regional inequality persist, thousands will continue to traverse those frozen paths, carrying not only goods but also the unbearable burden of a failed state.