Exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Exclusive breastfeeding was 62.6% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh, 1994–2019
Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of children under 6 months.
Analysis
Bangladesh recorded 62.6% for exclusive breastfeeding in 2019.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 45.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh peaked at 65.0% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 37.2%, in 2006.
That places Bangladesh 12th out of 72 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 11 years of available data.
Exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh, year by year
| Year | % of children under 6 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 46.0% | — |
| 1997 | 45.2% | -1.7% |
| 2000 | 46.0% | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 38.9% | -15.4% |
| 2006 | 37.2% | -4.3% |
| 2007 | 42.9% | +15.3% |
| 2011 | 64.1% | +49.3% |
| 2013 | 55.9% | -12.8% |
| 2014 | 55.3% | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 65.0% | +17.5% |
| 2019 | 62.6% | -3.6% |
Bangladesh compared with similar countries
- Bangladesh's 62.6% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46.7%, 1.3× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 45.6% | 45.2% | 46.0% | 2 |
| 2000s | 41.3% | 37.2% | 46.0% | 4 |
| 2010s | 60.6% | 55.3% | 65.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Bangladesh
More health data for Bangladesh
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.36 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.15 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,153 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 4,062 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 35 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.8772 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0468 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.7714 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh?
- Exclusive breastfeeding in Bangladesh was 62.6% in 2019, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Bangladesh?
- The highest recorded value was 65.0% in 2018.
- What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Bangladesh?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.2% in 2006.
- How does Bangladesh rank for exclusive breastfeeding?
- Bangladesh ranks 12th out of 72 countries with data for 2019.
- Is exclusive breastfeeding rising or falling in Bangladesh?
- Over the last ten years it is up 45.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Bangladesh data come from?
- The figures come from State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), published as part of Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Exclusive breastfeeding refers to the percentage of children less than six months old who are fed breast milk alone (no other liquids) in the past 24 hours.