Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Nigeria
Nigeria: Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) was 28.7% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria, 1990–2018
Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of children under 6 months.
Analysis
The most recent figure for exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria is 28.7%, measured in 2018. That is the highest value across all 10 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 22.9% on the previous year and up 128.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria peaked at 28.7% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 1990.
That places Nigeria 59th out of 72 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 10 years of available data.
Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | % of children under 6 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.7% | — |
| 1999 | 15.4% | +805.9% |
| 2000 | 15.4% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 15.6% | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 11.5% | -26.5% |
| 2008 | 12.5% | +9.2% |
| 2011 | 14.7% | +16.9% |
| 2013 | 16.9% | +15.5% |
| 2017 | 23.3% | +37.8% |
| 2018 | 28.7% | +22.9% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 28.7% is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46.7%, 61% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 28.7% is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 53.6%, 53% of the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 8.6% | 1.7% | 15.4% | 2 |
| 2000s | 13.8% | 11.5% | 15.6% | 4 |
| 2010s | 20.9% | 14.7% | 28.7% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More health data for Nigeria
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.08 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8137 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 257,921 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 14 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 1.14 % 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 0.0711 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 1.17 % 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 0.0729 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria?
- Exclusive breastfeeding in Nigeria was 28.7% in 2018, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 28.7% in 2018.
- What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 1990.
- How does Nigeria rank for exclusive breastfeeding?
- Nigeria ranks 59th out of 72 countries with data for 2018.
- Is exclusive breastfeeding rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 128.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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 — 10 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.