Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India

India: Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life was 58.0% in 2017. ▲ Rising

Latest (2017)
58.0%
Change on year
up 5.7%
World rank
19th
of 61 countries
All-time high
58.0%
in 2017
All-time low
46.0%
in 1992
Years of data
5
1992–2017

Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India, 1992–2017

02040601992200420171992: 461999: 46.82006: 46.42015: 54.92017: 58

Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.

Analysis

India recorded 58.0% for infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in 2017. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.7% on the previous year and up 25.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India peaked at 58.0% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 46.0%, in 1992.

India ranks 19th of 61 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India, year by year

Annual values for Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (%) in India, 1992 to 2017.
Year Value Change
1992 46.0%
1999 46.8% +1.7%
2006 46.4% -0.9%
2015 54.9% +18.4%
2017 58.0% +5.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 46.4% 46.0% 46.8% 2
2000s 46.4% 46.4% 46.4% 1
2010s 56.4% 54.9% 58.0% 2

Countries ranked near India

  1. 16 Guinea-Bissau 59.4% compare
  2. 17 Lesotho 59.0% compare
  3. 18 Ethiopia 58.8% compare
  4. 19 Mongolia 58.0% compare
  5. 21 Burkina Faso 57.9% compare
  6. 22 Tanzania, United Republic of 57.8% compare

See the full ranking of 61 places →

More health data for India

All data for India →

Frequently asked questions

What is infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India?
Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India was 58.0% in 2017, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
What is the highest infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life recorded in India?
The highest recorded value was 58.0% in 2017.
What is the lowest infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life recorded in India?
The lowest recorded value was 46.0% in 1992.
How does India rank for infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life?
India ranks 19th out of 61 countries with data for 2017.
Is infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life rising or falling in India?
Over the last ten years it is up 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this India data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India. Statizoid, drawing on World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infants-exclusively-breastfed-for-the-first-six-months-of-life-percent/india/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://health.statizoid.com/stat/infants-exclusively-breastfed-for-the-first-six-months-of-life-percent/india/">Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life in India</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Infants exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life (%)
Source
World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO)
Coverage
61 places, 414 data points, 1986–2020
Last refreshed