Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iran

Iran: Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished was 5.9 percent in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
5.9 percent
Change on year
down 7.8%
World rank
53rd
of 125 countries
All-time high
9.5 percent
in 2015
All-time low
5.9 percent
in 2023
Years of data
9
2015–2023

Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iran, 2015–2023

02468102015201920232015: 9.5 percent2016: 9.3 percent2017: 8.7 percent2018: 8.4 percent2019: 8.7 percent2020: 7.7 percent2021: 7.4 percent2022: 6.4 percent2023: 5.9 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iran is 5.9 percent, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.

That represents a change of down 7.8% on the previous year and down 37.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iran peaked at 9.5 percent in 2015 and was at its lowest, 5.9 percent, in 2023.

That places Iran 53rd out of 125 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 8.92 percent 8.4 percent 9.5 percent 5
2020s 6.85 percent 5.9 percent 7.7 percent 4

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 50 Palestine 6.3 percent compare
  2. 51 Georgia 6.2 percent compare
  3. 52 Cape Verde 6.1 percent compare
  4. 54 Kiribati 5.8 percent compare
  5. 54 Malaysia 5.8 percent compare
  6. 56 Laos 5.6 percent compare
  7. 56 Tajikistan 5.6 percent compare

See the full ranking of 125 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iran?
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished in Iran was 5.9 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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 9.5 percent in 2015.
What is the lowest share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 5.9 percent in 2023.
How does Iran rank for share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished?
Iran ranks 53rd out of 125 countries with data for 2023.
Is share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 the population defined as severely food insecure vs. undernourished. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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About this data

Indicator
Share of the population defined as severely food insecure vs. 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
125 places, 1,042 data points, 2015–2023
Last refreshed

Both metrics indicate that someone does not get enough food (in terms of calories) to eat: these metrics should be strongly correlated. Severe food insecurity is measured based on food security questionnaires among households. Undernourishment is based on estimates of actual calorie intake across the population.