Share of people who are undernourished in Iran
Iran: Share of people who are undernourished was 6.8 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising
Share of people who are undernourished in Iran, 2001–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in percent.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of people who are undernourished in Iran is 6.8 percent, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 1.5% on the previous year and down 15.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of people who are undernourished in Iran peaked at 9.5 percent in 2011 and was at its lowest, 4.9 percent, in 2001.
That places Iran 72nd out of 169 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Share of people who are undernourished in Iran, year by year
| Year | percent | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 4.9 percent | — |
| 2002 | 5.2 percent | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 5.5 percent | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 5.9 percent | +7.3% |
| 2005 | 6.4 percent | +8.5% |
| 2006 | 6.9 percent | +7.8% |
| 2007 | 7.4 percent | +7.2% |
| 2008 | 7.9 percent | +6.8% |
| 2009 | 8.4 percent | +6.3% |
| 2010 | 9.4 percent | +11.9% |
| 2011 | 9.5 percent | +1.1% |
| 2012 | 9.2 percent | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 8 percent | -13.0% |
| 2014 | 7.6 percent | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 7.4 percent | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 7.7 percent | +4.1% |
| 2017 | 8 percent | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 8 percent | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 7.7 percent | -3.7% |
| 2020 | 6.9 percent | -10.4% |
| 2021 | 6.8 percent | -1.4% |
| 2022 | 6.7 percent | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 6.8 percent | +1.5% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 6.8 percent is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.45 percent, 1.5× the median. (50 countries reporting)
- Iran's 6.8 percent is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 7 percent, 97% of the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6.5 percent | 4.9 percent | 8.4 percent | 9 |
| 2010s | 8.25 percent | 7.4 percent | 9.5 percent | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.8 percent | 6.7 percent | 6.9 percent | 4 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 46.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 109.46 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of people who are undernourished in Iran?
- Share of people who are undernourished in Iran was 6.8 percent in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 9.5 percent in 2011.
- What is the lowest share of people who are undernourished recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.9 percent in 2001.
- How does Iran rank for share of people who are undernourished?
- Iran ranks 72nd out of 169 countries with data for 2023.
- Is share of people who are undernourished rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is down 15.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Iran data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of people who are undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 23 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.