Iron deficiency statistics and research
2026 evidence edition. Published population estimates and our own measurements, with their sources and limitations.
Compiled by IronOx Clinic’s editorial team · Sources checked 2 October 2026 · Next source and method review planned for January 2027
Editorial contact: Rasheed Shehadeh.
This page reports evidence; it does not diagnose low iron or estimate your individual need for treatment.
Published population evidence
Anaemia and iron deficiency are different measures. Anaemia can have causes other than iron deficiency; iron deficiency can also occur without anaemia. The global figures below must not be presented as UK iron-deficiency rates.
30.7%
WHO’s 2025 estimates put global anaemia prevalence among women aged 15–49 at 30.7% in 2023. This is a modelled population estimate, not a survey of IronOx patients.
WHO: anaemia in women and children, 2025 edition35.5%
For pregnant women aged 15–49 worldwide, the same WHO edition estimates anaemia prevalence at 35.5% in 2023. This does not mean 35.5% require an iron infusion.
Read the original WHO population estimates
Population denominator: the specified global female age/pregnancy group. Measurement year: 2023. Release: 2025. These are model-based estimates using multiple data sources, not one clinical sample. Country estimates, uncertainty and methods should be consulted before drawing local conclusions.
WHO indicator definition and methodsOur own research: checking our patient guides
Can a reader follow our guides back to evidence? On 2 October 2026, IronOx audited the structure of all 39 articles in its website source library.
- 39 of 39 articles contained at least one external source link.
- 39 of 39 articles contained a dedicated Sources or References section.
- 39 of 39 articles contained a bullet list or numbered steps.
Method and limitations
We included every MDX article in the website’s blog directory, across iron and oxygen-therapy topics. For each article, the versioned checker records eight binary structural indicators: a named author field; a clinical-review or automated-evidence-review marker; both a hero-image and alt-text field; a Markdown bullet or numbered list; a practical-next-step heading; a Sources or References heading; at least one HTTPS Markdown source link; and at least one site-internal Markdown link. The downloadable audit gives each source-file hash and each article’s result. Drafts outside that directory and service pages are excluded.
These counts show only whether the checker found each pattern, not whether an author or review marker is accurate, whether a next step is useful, or whether an image description is adequate. This is our own structural editorial audit, not independent clinical research. Link presence does not establish source quality, link availability or clinical accuracy. It does not measure patient outcomes, treatment effectiveness, Google indexing or AI recommendations.
Download the article-level findings and method version (JSON)Calculation: articles passing each structural check ÷ 39 included articles. Counts are a dated snapshot, not live totals. No patient records were used.
Rasheed Shehadeh coordinates the quarterly source and method review. Next review: January 2027. Changes are recorded below.
Updates and further reading
2 October 2026: first edition, with WHO’s 2025 estimates for 2023 and an article-level editorial audit. The audit measures article structure and source-link presence; it does not assess clinical accuracy or patient outcomes.
2 October 2026, 14:46 UTC: refreshed the article-source snapshot and all eight structural-check results after adding a nonclinical methodology resource to one article. The corpus remains 39 articles; the audit still does not assess clinical accuracy or patient outcomes.
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