Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq
Iraq: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 3.9% in 2018. ▼ Falling
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq, 1991–2018
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 2018, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq stood at 3.9%. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 45.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq peaked at 12.8% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.9%, in 2018.
That places Iraq 67th out of 96 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 10.4% | — |
| 2000 | 12.8% | +23.1% |
| 2003 | 10.1% | -21.1% |
| 2004 | 8.0% | -20.8% |
| 2006 | 7.1% | -11.3% |
| 2011 | 7.2% | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 3.9% | -45.8% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 3.9% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.0%, 96% of the median. (26 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 3.9% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 3.8%, 1.0× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 10.4% | 10.4% | 10.4% | 1 |
| 2000s | 9.5% | 7.1% | 12.8% | 4 |
| 2010s | 5.5% | 3.9% | 7.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
More poverty & inequality data for Iraq
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via the World Bank 1 surveys (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per person (2025)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 surveys per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 3.25 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 2,749 kg per hectare (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate -7.71 % change on previous year (2023)
- Number of income/consumption surveys in the past decade available via 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Gender Inequality Index 0.558 (2023)
- Share of government consumption in GDP vs. share of population living in extreme poverty 20.3% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in Iraq was 3.9% in 2018, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 12.8% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.9% in 2018.
- How does Iraq rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- Iraq ranks 67th out of 96 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 45.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq 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 Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Underweight children are those less than 5 years old, whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population. Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day.