Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (%) by country
Countries reporting
61
Highest
80.9%
Sri Lanka
Lowest
4.6%
Dominican Republic
Median
50.6%
Years covered
35
1986–2020
Data points
414
What the numbers show
Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (%) is currently reported for 61 countries. The highest value is 80.9% in Sri Lanka; the lowest is 4.6% in Dominican Republic.
The median across all reporting countries is 50.6%, and the mean is 47.6%.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 18.
Over the past decade 48 countries rose and 13 fell. The largest increase was in Côte d'Ivoire (up 452.0%), and the largest decrease in Dominican Republic (down 54.1%).
Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka | 80.9% | 2016 | up 6.8% | volatile |
| 2 | Rwanda | 80.9% | 2020 | down 3.5% | flat |
| 3 | Burundi | 71.9% | 2019 | up 3.8% | flat |
| 4 | Zambia | 69.9% | 2018 | up 16.7% | volatile |
| 5 | Uganda | 65.5% | 2016 | up 10.9% | flat |
| 6 | Peru | 65.3% | 2019 | down 4.3% | rising |
| 7 | Cambodia | 65.2% | 2014 | up 8.6% | volatile |
| 8 | Timor-Leste | 65.0% | 2020 | up 27.9% | rising |
| 9 | Togo | 64.3% | 2017 | up 125.0% | volatile |
| 10 | Eswatini | 63.8% | 2014 | up 100.1% | rising |
| 11 | Sao Tome and Principe | 63.1% | 2019 | up 25.4% | rising |
| 12 | Bangladesh | 62.6% | 2019 | up 45.8% | rising |
| 13 | Nepal | 62.1% | 2019 | down 10.8% | falling |
| 14 | Kenya | 61.4% | 2014 | up 403.2% | volatile |
| 15 | Malawi | 59.4% | 2015 | up 13.6% | rising |
| 16 | Guinea-Bissau | 59.4% | 2019 | up 55.0% | rising |
| 17 | Lesotho | 59.0% | 2018 | up 11.6% | rising |
| 18 | Ethiopia | 58.8% | 2019 | up 13.2% | rising |
| 19 | Mongolia | 58.0% | 2020 | down 11.7% | rising |
| 19 | India | 58.0% | 2017 | up 25.1% | rising |
| 21 | Burkina Faso | 57.9% | 2019 | up 261.8% | volatile |
| 22 | Tanzania, United Republic of | 57.8% | 2018 | up 18.6% | rising |
| 23 | Bolivia, Plurinational State of | 55.7% | 2016 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 24 | Liberia | 55.2% | 2019 | up 98.7% | rising |
| 25 | Philippines | 54.9% | 2018 | up 66.5% | rising |
| 26 | Sierra Leone | 54.0% | 2019 | up 419.1% | volatile |
| 27 | Gambia | 53.6% | 2020 | up 61.7% | rising |
| 28 | Congo, Democratic Republic of the | 53.6% | 2017 | up 49.8% | rising |
| 29 | Guatemala | 53.2% | 2015 | up 5.2% | rising |
| 30 | Indonesia | 50.7% | 2017 | up 62.2% | rising |
| 31 | Madagascar | 50.6% | 2018 | up 1.0% | flat |
| 32 | Uzbekistan | 49.5% | 2017 | up 108.0% | volatile |
| 33 | El Salvador | 46.7% | 2014 | up 94.7% | rising |
| 34 | Kyrgyzstan | 45.6% | 2018 | up 28.0% | rising |
| 35 | Ghana | 42.9% | 2017 | down 21.9% | volatile |
| 36 | Zimbabwe | 41.9% | 2019 | up 61.5% | rising |
| 37 | Benin | 41.4% | 2018 | down 2.0% | rising |
| 38 | Mozambique | 41.0% | 2013 | up 42.8% | rising |
| 39 | Senegal | 40.8% | 2019 | up 4.7% | rising |
| 40 | Türkiye | 40.7% | 2018 | down 2.2% | volatile |
| 41 | Cuba | 40.6% | 2019 | down 16.3% | flat |
| 42 | Mali | 40.5% | 2019 | up 100.7% | rising |
| 43 | Mauritania | 40.3% | 2018 | up 260.8% | rising |
| 44 | Haiti | 39.9% | 2017 | down 1.6% | volatile |
| 45 | Egypt | 39.5% | 2014 | up 30.1% | falling |
| 46 | Cameroon | 39.4% | 2018 | up 86.7% | rising |
| 47 | Kazakhstan | 37.8% | 2015 | up 131.6% | rising |
| 48 | Colombia | 36.7% | 2016 | down 21.6% | rising |
| 49 | Central African Republic | 36.1% | 2019 | up 9.6% | rising |
| 50 | Morocco | 35.0% | 2017 | up 12.9% | falling |
| 51 | Guinea | 33.4% | 2018 | up 23.8% | rising |
| 52 | Mexico | 27.1% | 2019 | up 88.5% | flat |
| 53 | United States of America | 25.8% | 2018 | up 10.9% | rising |
| 54 | Jordan | 25.4% | 2017 | up 16.7% | falling |
| 55 | Nigeria | 25.2% | 2018 | up 100.7% | rising |
| 56 | Viet Nam | 24.0% | 2014 | up 54.5% | rising |
| 57 | Côte d'Ivoire | 23.1% | 2016 | up 452.0% | volatile |
| 58 | Niger | 21.6% | 2019 | up 118.3% | volatile |
| 59 | Thailand | 14.0% | 2019 | down 7.3% | volatile |
| 60 | Chad | 9.0% | 2019 | up 179.8% | volatile |
| 61 | Dominican Republic | 4.6% | 2014 | down 54.1% | falling |