Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone: Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) was 54.0% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Exclusive breastfeeding in Sierra Leone, 2000–2019
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 Sierra Leone stood at 54.0%. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 14.5% on the previous year and up 419.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding in Sierra Leone peaked at 54.0% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 2.8%, in 2000.
That places Sierra Leone 26th out of 72 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.
Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in Sierra Leone, year by year
| Year | % of children under 6 months | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.8% | — |
| 2005 | 8.4% | +198.3% |
| 2008 | 10.4% | +23.9% |
| 2010 | 31.2% | +199.7% |
| 2013 | 31.4% | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 47.2% | +50.2% |
| 2019 | 54.0% | +14.5% |
Sierra Leone compared with similar countries
- Sierra Leone's 54.0% is above the median for low income countries, which is 53.8%, 1.0× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- Sierra Leone's 54.0% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.2% | 2.8% | 10.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 40.9% | 31.2% | 54.0% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sierra Leone
More health data for Sierra Leone
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.34 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.773 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 4,209 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 38 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate 0.6447 % 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 0.0663 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.6611 % 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 0.0676 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is exclusive breastfeeding in Sierra Leone?
- Exclusive breastfeeding in Sierra Leone was 54.0% in 2019, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
- What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The highest recorded value was 54.0% in 2019.
- What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in Sierra Leone?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.8% in 2000.
- How does Sierra Leone rank for exclusive breastfeeding?
- Sierra Leone ranks 26th out of 72 countries with data for 2019.
- Is exclusive breastfeeding rising or falling in Sierra Leone?
- Over the last ten years it is up 419.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Sierra Leone 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 — 7 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.