Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted in Iraq

Iraq: Malnutrition: Number of children who are stunted was 528,200 in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
528,200
Change on year
down 1.7%
World rank
46th
of 162 countries
All-time high
1.20 million
in 2005
All-time low
528,200
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024

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

0250.0k500.0k750.0k1.0M1.2M2000201220242000: 1.1M2001: 1.1M2002: 1.2M2003: 1.2M2004: 1.2M2005: 1.2M2006: 1.2M2007: 1.1M2008: 1.1M2009: 1.1M2010: 1.1M2011: 1.1M2012: 1.0M2013: 1.0M2014: 991.0k2015: 949.0k2016: 885.5k2017: 812.6k2018: 742.2k2019: 674.5k2020: 617.0k2021: 575.1k2022: 550.5k2023: 537.6k2024: 528.2k

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

Analysis

In 2024, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iraq stood at 528,200. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.7% on the previous year and down 46.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iraq peaked at 1.20 million in 2005 and was at its lowest, 528,200, in 2024.

That places Iraq 46th out of 162 countries with data for 2024, putting it 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 1.15 million 1.10 million 1.20 million 10
2010s 924,920 674,500 1.08 million 10
2020s 561,680 528,200 617,000 5

Countries ranked near Iraq

  1. 43 Rwanda 564,300 compare
  2. 44 Zimbabwe 553,200 compare
  3. 45 Malaysia 540,700 compare
  4. 47 South Sudan 462,600 compare
  5. 48 Morocco 430,600 compare
  6. 49 Senegal 428,300 compare

See the full ranking of 162 places →

More reference data data for Iraq

All data for Iraq →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iraq?
Malnutrition: number of children who are stunted in Iraq was 528,200 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 Iraq?
The highest recorded value was 1.20 million in 2005.
What is the lowest malnutrition: number of children who are stunted recorded in Iraq?
The lowest recorded value was 528,200 in 2024.
How does Iraq rank for malnutrition: number of children who are stunted?
Iraq ranks 46th out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
Is malnutrition: number of children who are stunted rising or falling in Iraq?
Over the last ten years it is down 46.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Iraq 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

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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.