Introduction <p>Neurological disorders are a significant contributor to the global health burden. This study aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the national and subnational burden of neurological disorders in Iran from 1990 to 2021 using the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study data.</p> Methods <p>We extracted data on incidence, prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for major neurological disorders in Iran from the GBD 2021 study. The disorders were Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other dementias, headache disorders, idiopathic epilepsy, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, motor neuron disease, and other neurological disorders.</p> Results <p>Neurological disorders affected 35.2&#xa0;million individuals (95% uncertainty interval [UI]: 32.6–37.9&#xa0;million) in 2021 in Iran. From 1990 to 2021, the age-standardized DALY and death rates neurological disorders in Iran decreased (-5.5% and − 8.9%, respectively). However, all-ages numbers increased substantially for all metrics. The five conditions with the highest age-standardized DALY rates per 100,000 in 2021 were headache disorders (716.3), AD and other dementias (473.6), idiopathic epilepsy (121.5), Parkinson’s disease (73.8), and MS (28.0). Significant geographic variations were observed, with East Azarbayejan and Tehran consistently showing higher burdens.</p> Conclusions <p>Despite improvements in age-standardized DALY rates, the absolute burden of neurological disorders in Iran has increased significantly from 1990 to 2021. Targeted interventions and resource allocation to address the growing challenge of neurological disorders in Iran are warranted.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>