Exclusive Breastfeeding Under Six Months

Infants under 6 months exclusively breastfed (%)·Higher is better — rank 1 leads·Published by UNICEF

We hold the 2024 edition of this indicator, covering 136 countries.

136 countries, each from its own most recent reading (1996–2024), from UNICEF's own SDMX warehouse (NT_BF_EXBF). The share of infants under six months fed nothing but breast milk. It is measured against a stated recommendation — WHO advises exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months — rather than being a matter of taste, which is what makes a comparison meaningful. ⚠ IT IS MEASURED BY ASKING ABOUT THE PREVIOUS DAY, not the whole six months. That is the standard method and it makes every figure here HIGHER than a strict reading of the recommendation would give, because a baby given water once last week still counts. ⚠ ONE READING PER COUNTRY, with UNICEF's own priority flag choosing between surveys. No rank is published; the POSITION is derived here and labelled as ours.