Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Pakistan
Pakistan: Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) was 47.8% in 2019. ▲ Rising
Exclusive breastfeeding in Pakistan, 1991–2019
Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of children under 6 months.
Analysis
In 2019, exclusive breastfeeding in Pakistan stood at 47.8%. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 29.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding in Pakistan peaked at 47.8% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 16.0%, in 1995.
That places Pakistan 34th out of 72 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Pakistan, year by year
| Year | % of children under 6 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 33.2% | — |
| 1995 | 16.0% | -51.8% |
| 2007 | 37.0% | +131.4% |
| 2013 | 37.7% | +1.9% |
| 2018 | 47.5% | +25.7% |
| 2019 | 47.8% | +0.8% |
Pakistan compared with similar countries
- Pakistan's 47.8% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 46.7%, 1.0× the median. (32 countries reporting)
- Pakistan's 47.8% is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 36.9%, 1.3× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.6% | 16.0% | 33.2% | 2 |
| 2000s | 37.0% | 37.0% | 37.0% | 1 |
| 2010s | 44.4% | 37.7% | 47.8% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Pakistan
- 31 Madagascar 50.6% compare
- 32 Uzbekistan 49.5% compare
- 33 Namibia 48.3% compare
- 35 El Salvador 46.7% compare
- 36 Kyrgyzstan 45.6% compare
- 37 Ghana 42.9% compare
More health data for Pakistan
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.14 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8219 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 55,286 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 335 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.5028 % 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 0.0616 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.4109 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0643 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exclusive breastfeeding in Pakistan?
- Exclusive breastfeeding in Pakistan was 47.8% in 2019, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Pakistan?
- The highest recorded value was 47.8% in 2019.
- What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Pakistan?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.0% in 1995.
- How does Pakistan rank for exclusive breastfeeding?
- Pakistan ranks 34th out of 72 countries with data for 2019.
- Is exclusive breastfeeding rising or falling in Pakistan?
- Over the last ten years it is up 29.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Pakistan 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.