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Background and objective: The debilitating nature of childhood malnutrition underlies the increased risk of chronic diseases in later life. The present study investigated the relationship between nutrient density and indicators of nutritional status in children 2 to 5 years of age in Chatroud, Kerman. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among 180 children aged 24 mo to 60 mo who attended urban and rural health care centers in the city of Chatroud Kerman province, Iran. The sampling method was multi-step and the sampling strata were selected based on the urban and rural areas. Dietary, demographic, and anthropometric data was collected. Results: In the final regression model, Z scores for BMI-for-age (p = 0.033, β = 0.903) and weight-for-height (p = 0.028, β = 0.913) had positive significant correlations with nutrient density. Conclusion: This study showed that an increase in the nutrient density of the diet is associated with better nutritional status as reflected by weight-for-height and BMI-for-age values in children under 5 years of age. Keywords: Nutritional status, 2 to 5 year-old children, Dietary nutrient density