Iran vs South Africa: Number of people who are undernourished

Iran
6.20 million millions
in 2023
South Africa
6.30 million millions
in 2023
Iran rank
25th
South Africa rank
23rd

Number of people who are undernourished over time

  • Iran
  • South Africa
2.0M4.0M6.0M8.0M200120122023

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 6.30 million millions against 6.20 million millions in Iran, a difference of 100,000 millions.

The two have swapped places 1 time across 23 shared years of data; in 2001 it was Iran ahead.

Iran ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 131 countries.

Iran has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Iran South Africa Difference Ahead
2000s 4.70 million millions 1.74 million millions 2.96 million millions Iran
2010s 6.76 million millions 3.34 million millions 3.42 million millions Iran
2020s 6.08 million millions 5.88 million millions 200,000 millions Iran

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of people who are undernourished, Iran or South Africa?
South Africa, at 6.30 million millions against 6.20 million millions in Iran as of 2023.
What is the difference in number of people who are undernourished between Iran and South Africa?
100,000 millions, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Africa?
23 years are reported by both, from 2001 to 2023.
How do Iran and South Africa rank globally for number of people who are undernourished?
Iran ranks 25th and South Africa ranks 23rd of 131 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people who are undernourished. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Number of people who are undernourished
Unit
millions
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
131 places, 2,706 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

Undernourishment is measured as having a caloric intake that is insufficient to meet the minimum energy requirements necessary for a given individual.