Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Iran

Iran: Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight was 4.3% in 2017. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2017)
4.3%
World rank
65th
of 96 countries
All-time high
13.8%
in 1995
All-time low
4.1%
in 2010
Years of data
5
1995–2017

Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight in Iran, 1995–2017

4681012141995200620171995: 13.8 % of children under 51998: 9.5 % of children under 52004: 4.6 % of children under 52010: 4.1 % of children under 52017: 4.3 % of children under 5

Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.

Analysis

In 2017, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Iran stood at 4.3%.

The figure is down 6.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Iran peaked at 13.8% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 4.1%, in 2010.

Iran ranks 65th of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 11.7% 9.5% 13.8% 2
2000s 4.6% 4.6% 4.6% 1
2010s 4.2% 4.1% 4.3% 2

Countries ranked near Iran

  1. 62 Ecuador 4.9% compare
  2. 62 South Africa 4.9% compare
  3. 64 Nicaragua 4.6% compare
  4. 66 Mexico 4.2% compare
  5. 67 Iraq 3.9% compare
  6. 68 Colombia 3.7% compare
  7. 68 Egypt 3.7% compare

See the full ranking of 96 places →

More reference data data for Iran

All data for Iran →

Frequently asked questions

What is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Iran?
Malnutrition: share of children who are underweight in Iran was 4.3% in 2017, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Iran?
The highest recorded value was 13.8% in 1995.
What is the lowest malnutrition: share of children who are underweight recorded in Iran?
The lowest recorded value was 4.1% in 2010.
How does Iran rank for malnutrition: share of children who are underweight?
Iran ranks 65th out of 96 countries with data for 2017.
Is malnutrition: share of children who are underweight rising or falling in Iran?
Over the last ten years it is down 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Iran data come from?
The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Malnutrition: Share of children who are underweight
Unit
% of children under 5
Source
Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
96 places, 957 data points, 1984–2024
Last refreshed

The share of children younger than five years old whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population for ages 0-59 months.