Global Exclusive Breastfeeding Rates Rise by 10% Over 12 Years, Yet Challenges Remain

Breastfeeding provides essential antibodies that protect infants from illness and death, particularly crucial during emergencies when it offers a safe, nutritious, and accessible food source.

In the past 12 years, the proportion of infants under six months who are exclusively breastfed globally has risen by over 10%, reaching 48%. This increase represents a significant step towards the World Health Organization's target of 50% exclusive breastfeeding by 2025, translating into hundreds of thousands of lives potentially saved.

Breastfeeding provides essential antibodies that protect infants from illness and death, particularly crucial during emergencies when it offers a safe, nutritious, and accessible food source. Additionally, breastfeeding contributes to reducing childhood illnesses and lowers the risk of certain cancers and noncommunicable diseases for mothers.

This World Breastfeeding Week, themed "Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All," UNICEF and WHO highlight the importance of improving breastfeeding support to reduce health inequities and uphold the rights of mothers and babies. An estimated 4.5 billion people globally lack full access to essential health services, leaving many women without the necessary support for optimal breastfeeding. This support includes access to trained, empathetic health advice and counseling throughout the breastfeeding journey.

Currently, only half of all countries collect data on breastfeeding rates, which hinders efforts to address healthcare inequalities. Effective data collection on breastfeeding policies—such as family-friendly employment policies, regulations on breastmilk substitute marketing, and investments in breastfeeding support—is crucial. Enhancing monitoring systems can improve the effectiveness of breastfeeding policies, inform better decision-making, and ensure adequate financing for support systems.

Key actions to improve breastfeeding rates involve:

Increasing Investment: Allocate national budgets to programs and policies that protect and support breastfeeding.

Implementing Family-Friendly Policies: Enforce workplace policies such as paid maternity leave, breastfeeding breaks, and access to affordable, high-quality childcare.

Providing Support in Emergencies: Ensure mothers in high-risk or underrepresented communities receive appropriate breastfeeding protection and support, including effective counseling.

Improving Monitoring: Enhance the monitoring of breastfeeding programs and policies to guide improvements and increase rates.

Enforcing Marketing Restrictions: Develop and enforce laws to restrict the marketing of breast-milk substitutes, including digital marketing, and monitor compliance.

When breastfeeding is well-supported and protected, women are more than twice as likely to successfully breastfeed their infants. Addressing these areas of need is a shared responsibility among families, communities, healthcare workers, policymakers, and decision-makers to ensure every mother and baby receives the support they need for a healthy start.