Exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America

United States of America: Exclusive breastfeeding was 25.8% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
25.8%
Change on year
down 25.7%
World rank
62nd
of 72 countries
All-time high
34.7%
in 2016
All-time low
23.3%
in 2010
Years of data
5
2010–2018

Exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America, 2010–2018

01020302010201420182010: 23.3 % of children under 6 months2012: 25.5 % of children under 6 months2014: 26.4 % of children under 6 months2016: 34.7 % of children under 6 months2018: 25.8 % of children under 6 months

Source: State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Measured in % of children under 6 months.

Analysis

In 2018, exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America stood at 25.8%.

That represents a change of down 25.7% on the previous year and up 10.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America peaked at 34.7% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 23.3%, in 2010.

That places United States of America 62nd out of 72 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America, year by year

Annual values for Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months) in United States of America, 2010 to 2018.
Year % of children under 6 months Change
2010 23.3%
2012 25.5% +9.7%
2014 26.4% +3.6%
2016 34.7% +31.3%
2018 25.8% -25.7%

Countries ranked near United States of America

  1. 59 Nigeria 28.7% compare
  2. 60 North Macedonia 27.5% compare
  3. 61 Mexico 27.1% compare
  4. 63 Jordan 25.4% compare
  5. 64 Viet Nam 24.0% compare
  6. 65 Serbia 23.6% compare

See the full ranking of 72 places →

More health data for United States of America

All data for United States of America →

Frequently asked questions

What is exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America?
Exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America was 25.8% in 2018, according to State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF).
What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in United States of America?
The highest recorded value was 34.7% in 2016.
What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding recorded in United States of America?
The lowest recorded value was 23.3% in 2010.
How does United States of America rank for exclusive breastfeeding?
United States of America ranks 62nd out of 72 countries with data for 2018.
Is exclusive breastfeeding rising or falling in United States of America?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United States of America 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.

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Exclusive breastfeeding in United States of America. Statizoid, drawing on State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/exclusive-breastfeeding-percent-of-children-under-6-months/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Exclusive breastfeeding (% of children under 6 months)
Unit
% of children under 6 months
Source
State of the World's Children, UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
72 places, 509 data points, 1986–2020
Last refreshed

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.