Share of adults who are obese in Iran
Iran: Share of adults who are obese was 25.7% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who are obese in Iran, 1980–2024
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of adults who are obese in Iran stood at 25.7%. That is the highest value across all 45 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.7% on the previous year and up 27.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who are obese in Iran peaked at 25.7% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.4%, in 1980.
Iran ranks 94th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Share of adults who are obese in Iran, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 7.4% | — |
| 1981 | 7.5% | +1.8% |
| 1982 | 7.7% | +2.1% |
| 1983 | 7.9% | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 8.1% | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 8.4% | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 8.6% | +3.2% |
| 1987 | 8.9% | +3.2% |
| 1988 | 9.2% | +3.3% |
| 1989 | 9.5% | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 9.9% | +3.5% |
| 1991 | 10.2% | +3.5% |
| 1992 | 10.6% | +3.6% |
| 1993 | 11.0% | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 11.4% | +3.6% |
| 1995 | 11.7% | +3.2% |
| 1996 | 12.1% | +3.0% |
| 1997 | 12.4% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 12.8% | +2.7% |
| 1999 | 13.1% | +2.7% |
| 2000 | 13.5% | +2.7% |
| 2001 | 13.8% | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 14.2% | +2.8% |
| 2003 | 14.6% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 15.0% | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 15.4% | +2.6% |
| 2006 | 15.8% | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 16.2% | +2.9% |
| 2008 | 16.7% | +3.0% |
| 2009 | 17.3% | +3.1% |
| 2010 | 17.8% | +3.1% |
| 2011 | 18.4% | +3.2% |
| 2012 | 18.9% | +3.2% |
| 2013 | 19.6% | +3.2% |
| 2014 | 20.2% | +3.3% |
| 2015 | 20.9% | +3.4% |
| 2016 | 21.6% | +3.4% |
| 2017 | 22.3% | +3.0% |
| 2018 | 22.8% | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 23.4% | +2.4% |
| 2020 | 23.9% | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 24.4% | +2.1% |
| 2022 | 24.8% | +1.8% |
| 2023 | 25.3% | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 25.7% | +1.7% |
Iran compared with similar countries
- Iran's 25.7% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 28.6%, 90% of the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Iran's 25.7% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 30.3%, 85% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 8.3% | 7.4% | 9.5% | 10 |
| 1990s | 11.5% | 9.9% | 13.1% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.2% | 13.5% | 17.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 20.6% | 17.8% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.8% | 23.9% | 25.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iran
More reference data data for Iran
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.84 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 7.3 (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) - Burning - Crop residues 0.2091 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 26.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 12.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 26.62 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who are obese in Iran?
- Share of adults who are obese in Iran was 25.7% in 2024, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults who are obese recorded in Iran?
- The highest recorded value was 25.7% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of adults who are obese recorded in Iran?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.4% in 1980.
- How does Iran rank for share of adults who are obese?
- Iran ranks 94th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of adults who are obese rising or falling in Iran?
- Over the last ten years it is up 27.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of adults who are obese. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Obesity is defined here as a body mass index (BMI) above 30. BMI is a person's weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters.