Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Iran

Iran: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 290,400 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
290,400
Change on year
down 3.2%
World rank
60th
of 162 countries
All-time high
777,000
in 2000
All-time low
290,400
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Iran, 2000–2024

0200.0k400.0k600.0k800.0k2000201220242000: 777.0k2001: 694.1k2002: 623.9k2003: 567.5k2004: 526.3k2005: 490.3k2006: 459.3k2007: 433.4k2008: 415.0k2009: 402.5k2010: 391.8k2011: 381.5k2012: 376.9k2013: 379.2k2014: 385.2k2015: 392.1k2016: 395.6k2017: 393.3k2018: 384.6k2019: 368.8k2020: 348.4k2021: 328.6k2022: 313.3k2023: 300.0k2024: 290.4k

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.

Analysis

Iran recorded 290,400 for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

The figure is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 24.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iran peaked at 777,000 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 290,400, in 2024.

Iran ranks 60th of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 538,930 402,500 777,000 10
2010s 384,900 368,800 395,600 10
2020s 316,140 290,400 348,400 5

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 57 Uzbekistan 298,200 compare
  2. 58 Sierra Leone 295,600 compare
  3. 59 Saudi Arabia 295,100 compare
  4. 61 Peru 285,200 compare
  5. 62 North Korea 283,200 compare
  6. 63 Argentina 278,300 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iran?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iran was 290,400 in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 777,000 in 2000.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 290,400 in 2024.
How does Iran rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Iran ranks 60th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 24.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
162 places, 4,050 data points, 2000–2024
Last refreshed

The number of children younger than five who are stunted – significantly shorter than the average for their age, as a consequence of poor nutrition or repeated infection.