Introduction & Objective: Melanocytic nevi are very frequent and there is a relationship between these nevi and malignant melanoma. So we need to know the prevalence and kinds of these nevi in our country. The aim of this study was to clarify the prevalence and kinds of melanocytic nevi in rural areas of Hamadan in the west of Iran.

Materials & Methods: A cluster random sampling was followed. The survey included 9450 rural inhabitant of all ages and both sexes from representative of 33 villages of Hamadan. The data were collected through personal interview and examination at homes in 2002.

Results: This study showed melanocytic nevi in 88% of population, lentigo in 50%, freckling in 12.7% and café-au-lait spots in 6.7% of studied subjects. The range of age in the patients was 1-75 years with the mean of 35.7 year.

Conclusion: Due to relation of melanocytic nevi with malignant melanoma avoiding sun exposure and health education are important , especially for high risk people.