Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq
Iraq: Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) was 4.6% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
4.6%
Change on year
down 6.1%
World rank
102nd
of 162 countries
All-time high
11.2%
in 2008
All-time low
4.6%
in 2024
Years of data
25
2000–2024
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2024, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq stood at 4.6%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
The figure is down 6.1% on the previous year and down 50.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq peaked at 11.2% in 2008 and was at its lowest, 4.6%, in 2024.
Iraq ranks 102nd of 162 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 7.4% | — |
| 2001 | 8.1% | +9.5% |
| 2002 | 8.8% | +8.6% |
| 2003 | 9.5% | +8.0% |
| 2004 | 10.1% | +6.3% |
| 2005 | 10.6% | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 11.0% | +3.8% |
| 2007 | 11.1% | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 11.2% | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 11.1% | -0.9% |
| 2010 | 10.9% | -1.8% |
| 2011 | 10.6% | -2.8% |
| 2012 | 10.3% | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 9.8% | -4.9% |
| 2014 | 9.3% | -5.1% |
| 2015 | 8.8% | -5.4% |
| 2016 | 8.2% | -6.8% |
| 2017 | 7.6% | -7.3% |
| 2018 | 7.1% | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 6.6% | -7.0% |
| 2020 | 6.1% | -7.6% |
| 2021 | 5.7% | -6.6% |
| 2022 | 5.3% | -7.0% |
| 2023 | 4.9% | -7.5% |
| 2024 | 4.6% | -6.1% |
Iraq compared with similar countries
- Iraq's 4.6% is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 7.5%, 61% of the median. (53 countries reporting)
- Iraq's 4.6% is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 8.7%, 53% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 9.9% | 7.4% | 11.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.9% | 6.6% | 10.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.3% | 4.6% | 6.1% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Iraq
- 102 Tajikistan 4.6% compare
- 102 Marshall Islands 4.6% compare
- 102 Lithuania 4.6% compare
More health data for Iraq
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.4 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.9773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 898.9 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 5,830 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.988 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0587 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.9818 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq?
- Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) in Iraq was 4.6% in 2024, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Iraq?
- The highest recorded value was 11.2% in 2008.
- What is the lowest overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) recorded in Iraq?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.6% in 2024.
- How does Iraq rank for overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%)?
- Iraq ranks 102nd out of 162 countries with data for 2024.
- Is overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (%) rising or falling in Iraq?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Iraq data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Overweight prevalence among children under 5 years of age (% weight-for-height >+2 SD), model-based estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).