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 | Algeria |
| Angola |
| Benin |
| Botswana |
| Burkina Faso |
| Burundi |
| Cameroon |
| Cape Verde |
| Central African Republic |
| Chad |
| Comoros |
| Congo |
| Côte d’Ivoire |
| Djibouti |
| DRC |
| Egypt |
| Equatorial Guinea |
| Eritrea |
| Eswatini |
| Ethiopia |
| Gabon |
| Gambia |
| Ghana |
| Guinea |
| Guinea-Bissau |
| Kenya |
| Lesotho |
| Liberia |
| Libya |
| Madagascar |
| Malawi |
| Mali |
| Mauritania |
| Mauritius |
| Morocco |
| Mozambique |
| Namibia |
| Niger |
| Nigeria |
| Rwanda |
| SADR |
| São Tomé and Príncipe |
| Senegal |
| Seychelles |
| Sierra Leone |
| Somalia |
| South Africa |
| South Sudan |
| Sudan |
| Tanzania |
| Togo |
| Tunisia |
| Uganda |
| Zambia |
| Zimbabwe |
| Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health |
| Life expectancy at birth |
| Maternal mortality ratio |
| Stillbirth rate |
| Neonatal mortality rate |
| Infant mortality rate |
| Under 5 mortality rate |
| Antenatal care coverage: 4+ visits |
| Antenatal care coverage: 8+ visits |
| Births attended by skilled health personnel |
| Postpartum care coverage for mothers |
| Postnatal care coverage for newborns |
| Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months |
| Coverage of first dose of measles vaccination |
| Stunting - short height for age under age 5 |
| Wasting – low weight for height under age 5 |
| Overweight - heavy for height under 5 |
| Sexual and Reproductive Health |
| Child marriage before age 15 |
| Child marriage before age 18 |
| Female genital mutilation |
| Sexual violence by age 18 - female |
| Sexual violence by age 18 - male |
| Very early child bearing under age 16 |
| Adolescent birth rate ages 15 to 19 |
| Contraceptive prevalance rate, modern methods, all women |
| Demand satisfied for modern contraception |
| Communicable Diseases |
| New HIV infections |
| Antiretroviral treatment coverage |
| Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV |
| Condom use |
| New TB infections |
| New malaria infections |
| Non-Communicable Diseases |
| Mortality from non-communicable diseases |
| Suicide mortality rate |
| Current tobacco use among females aged 15 and over |
| Current tobacco use among males aged 15 and over |
| Harmful alcohol use aged 15 and over |
| Health Financing |
| External health expenditure as % current health expenditure |
| Government health expenditure as % current health expenditure |
| Government health expenditure as % GDP |
| Government health expenditure as % general govt expenditure |
| Government health expenditure per capita |
| Out-of-pocket health expenditure as % of current health expenditure |
| Percentage of national health budget allocated for reproductive health |
| Health systems and policies |
| Density of health workers - physicians |
| Density of health workers - nurses and midwives |
| Density of health workers - pharmaceutical staff |
| Qualified obstetricians |
| Birth registration |
| At least basic drinking water |
| At least basic sanitation services |
| Open defecation |
| Implementation of AMRH Initiative |
| Full Name: | Percentage of infants 0─5 months of age who received only breast milk during the previous day |
| Full Unit: | Percentage, % |
| Year-range of Data: | 2005 - 2017 |
| Source: | UNICEF |
| Link to Source: | https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/ |
| Date Source Published: | 21st May 2018 |
| Date Source Accessed: | 21st January 2019 |
| Target Source: | WHO |
| Link to Target: | [link]http://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/[/link] |
 | The following countries had no data: |
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The target is taken from the target source as shown in the table on the left. This is the internationally agreed target for this indicator and country. Most targets are the same for all countries, but some may have different values for each country. Some indicators have no internationally agreed targets.
The threshold is taken from the same source where available. The threshold is an easier value than the target but shows good progress in achieving the target. For more details, go to ‘Find out more about indicator and sources’ via the Indicators page. |
This is the proportion of infants 0-5 months of age (from birth to less than 6 months) who are fed exclusively with breast milk. The indicator does include infants who 0-5 months of age who received ORS drops, and minerals, vitamins and medicines in syrup form, but no other food or water.
Proper feeding of infants and young children can increase their chances of survival. It can also promote optimal growth and development. Ideally, infants should be breastfed within one hour of birth and breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life. Exclusive breastfeeding is a cornerstone of child survival and child health because it provides essential, irreplaceable nutrition for a child’s growth and development. It serves as a child’s first immunization – providing protection from respiratory infections, diarrhoeal disease, and other potentially life-threatening ailments. Exclusive breastfeeding also has a protective effect against obesity and certain noncommunicable diseases later in life. Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months forms part of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030). The related global nutirion target is to Increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months up to at least 50% by 2025.
The preferred sources of data are household surveys, specific population surveys and surveillance systems. US Agency for International Development–supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNCEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) include questions on liquids and foods given the previous day, as well as the number of milk feeds the previous day, to find out if the child is being exclusively breastfed.
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More about indicator and sources
Proper feeding of infants and young children can increase their chances of survival. Ideally, infants should be breastfed within one hour of birth, breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life and continue to be breastfed up to 2 years of age and beyond. Starting at 6 months, breastfeeding should be combined with safe, age-appropriate feeding of solid, semi-solid and soft foods.
An infant that is not exclusively breastfed could be at a substantially greater risk of death from diarrhoea or pneumonia than one who is. Moreover, breastfeeding supports infants’ immune systems and may protect them later in life from chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. In addition, breastfeeding protects mothers against certain types of cancer and other health conditions. Adequate feeding from 6 months onwards can prevent undernutrition and decrease the risk of infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. Yet despite all the potential benefits, only about two fifths of infants 0-5 months of age worldwide are exclusively breastfed, and only around two thirds are introduced to solid foods in a timely manner.
To read more about the global nutrition targets, go to: https://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/
To read more about the related sustainble development goals, see here:https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs
More information on calculations
The indicator is measured by the number of infants 0-5 months of age who received only breast milk during the previous day, divided by the number of infants 0-5 months of age, multiplied by 100. The WHO and UNICEF together collect data on infant and young child feeding, combining information from national surveys.
For further information, visit: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/
