Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Democratic Republic of Congo
Democratic Republic of Congo: Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) was 53.6% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Exclusive breastfeeding in Democratic Republic of Congo, 1995–2018
Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of children under 6 months.
Analysis
Democratic Republic of Congo recorded 53.6% for exclusive breastfeeding in 2018. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 49.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding in Democratic Republic of Congo peaked at 53.6% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 23.8%, in 1995.
That places Democratic Republic of Congo 28th out of 72 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.
Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Democratic Republic of Congo, year by year
| Year | % of children under 6 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 23.8% | — |
| 2001 | 23.8% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 35.8% | +50.3% |
| 2010 | 36.4% | +1.6% |
| 2014 | 47.3% | +30.1% |
| 2018 | 53.6% | +13.3% |
Democratic Republic of Congo compared with similar countries
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 53.6% is below the median for low income countries, which is 53.8%, 100% of the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Democratic Republic of Congo's 53.6% is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 53.6%, 1.0× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 23.8% | 23.8% | 23.8% | 1 |
| 2000s | 29.8% | 23.8% | 35.8% | 2 |
| 2010s | 45.8% | 36.4% | 53.6% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Democratic Republic of Congo
- 25 Philippines 54.9% compare
- 26 Sierra Leone 54.0% compare
- 27 Gambia 53.6% compare
- 29 Guatemala 53.2% compare
- 30 Indonesia 50.7% compare
- 31 Madagascar 50.6% compare
More health data for Democratic Republic of Congo
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.56 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 1.03 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 133,650 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 390 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 2.56 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0895 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 2.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0905 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exclusive breastfeeding in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Exclusive breastfeeding in Democratic Republic of Congo was 53.6% in 2018, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The highest recorded value was 53.6% in 2018.
- What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.8% in 1995.
- How does Democratic Republic of Congo rank for exclusive breastfeeding?
- Democratic Republic of Congo ranks 28th out of 72 countries with data for 2018.
- Is exclusive breastfeeding rising or falling in Democratic Republic of Congo?
- Over the last ten years it is up 49.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Democratic Republic of Congo 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 — 6 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.