Share of people who are undernourished in Iran

Iran: Share of people who are undernourished was 6.8 percent in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)
6.8 percent
Change on year
up 1.5%
World rank
72nd
of 169 countries
All-time high
9.5 percent
in 2011
All-time low
4.9 percent
in 2001
Years of data
23
2001–2023

Share of people who are undernourished in Iran, 2001–2023

02468102001201220232001: 4.9 percent2002: 5.2 percent2003: 5.5 percent2004: 5.9 percent2005: 6.4 percent2006: 6.9 percent2007: 7.4 percent2008: 7.9 percent2009: 8.4 percent2010: 9.4 percent2011: 9.5 percent2012: 9.2 percent2013: 8 percent2014: 7.6 percent2015: 7.4 percent2016: 7.7 percent2017: 8 percent2018: 8 percent2019: 7.7 percent2020: 6.9 percent2021: 6.8 percent2022: 6.7 percent2023: 6.8 percent

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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest 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

  1. 70 Peru 6.9 percent compare
  2. 70 Ukraine 6.9 percent compare
  3. 72 Fiji 6.8 percent compare
  4. 74 El Salvador 6.7 percent compare
  5. 75 Ghana 6.3 percent compare
  6. 75 Indonesia 6.3 percent compare

See the full ranking of 169 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

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

Indicator
Share of people who are undernourished
Unit
percent
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
169 places, 3,850 data points, 2001–2023
Last refreshed

Share of the population whose daily food intake does not provide enough energy to maintain a normal, active, and healthy life.