Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life

Invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future

Breastfeeding offers a promising future for both children and society by improving children’s development and lowering healthcare costs, which in turn bring economic gains. Investing in breastfeeding support saves lives by providing essential nutrition and critical antibodies that shield against common illnesses such as diarrhoea, pneumonia, and infections. The benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond infancy, with breastfed children having a lower likelihood of becoming overweight or obese and developing chronic diseases in adulthood. For mothers, breastfeeding reduces their likelihood of postpartum haemorrhage, breast and ovarian cancers, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.

Many countries in the Western Pacific Region are still striving to achieve optimal breastfeeding. In Figure 1, infants who were exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months in the Region ranged from 35.1% to 76.2%, based on the latest available data. Donor funding for breastfeeding support remains insufficient, with only one country (out of 14) recording at least USD 5 per live birth – the minimum amount needed to reach the Global Nutrition Target for exclusive breastfeeding. Access to skilled breastfeeding counselling programmes could be strengthened, as most countries in the Region (9 out of 12 countries) reported a lack of comprehensive pre-service curriculum that adequately covers infant and young child feeding (IYCF) topics for health professionals. Notably, many countries still lack data for these indicators, presenting gaps and opportunities to strengthen monitoring and evaluation for more effective and targeted interventions.

Everyone has a role to play. In conjunction with the World Breastfeeding Week 2025, let’s ‘invest in breastfeeding, invest in the future’. For instance, allocate dedicated funding for breastfeeding support, provide skilled breastfeeding counselling to all health workers, and create conducive environments — at home, in healthcare, and at work. Marketing of breast-milk substitutes remains a concern in the Region, with only six countries have legal measures substantially aligned with the International Code of Marketing for Breastmilk Substitutes and subsequent relevant World Health Assembly resolutions. This warrants more compelling efforts, including regulating the digital marketing of breast-milk substitutes to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding.

Find out more about the World Breastfeeding Week 2025 here.

Figure 1 Breastfeeding indicators in the Western Pacific Region, by country

Abbreviation: IYCF = infant and young child feeding

Notes

1. The colour in the column of 'Donor funding per live birth earmarked for exclusive breastfeeding' refers to:
   • Green: At least USD 5 in donor funding per birth
   • Yellow: USD 2-5 in donor funding per birth
   • Orange: USD 1-2 in donor funding per birth
   • Red: <USD 1 in funding per birth
2. The colour in the column of ‘Inclusion of IYCF support in pre-service curricula’ refers to:
   • Green: IYCF counselling and support are included comprehensively in pre-service curricula for both medical doctors and nurses or other health professionals
   • Yellow: IYCF counselling and support are included comprehensively in pre-service curricula only for nurses or other health professionals
   • Orange: IYCF counselling and support are included comprehensively in pre-service curricula only for medical doctors
   • Red: IYCF counselling and support are not included comprehensively in pre-service curricula for any health professionals
3. The colour in the column of 'Legal status of the Code' refers to:
   • Green: Substantially aligned with the Code (encompassing a significant set of provisions of the Code, total score of 75-100)
   • Yellow: Moderately aligned with the Code (encompassing a majority of the provisions of the Code, total score of 50 - <75)
   • Orange: Some provisions of the Code (covering less than half of the provisions of the Code, total score of <50)
   • Red: No legal measures (either no action, voluntary agreements or other non-legal measures)

References:

1United Nations Children’s Fund, Division of Data, Analysis, Planning and Monitoring (2024). Global UNICEF Global Databases: Infant and Young Child Feeding: Exclusive breastfeeding, New York, December 2024.

2,3Global Breastfeeding Collective, UNICEF and WHO 2025. Global Breastfeeding Scorecard 2024. https://www.globalbreastfeedingcollective.org/global-breastfeeding-scorecard. Accessed on 17 July 2025.

4Marketing of breast milk substitutes: National implementation of the international code, status report 2024. https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/376854.

Related links:

• WPRO. Breastfeeding. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/health-topics/breastfeeding
• WPRO. Protecting, supporting and promoting breastfeeding. https://www.who.int/westernpacific/activities/protecting-supporting-and-promoting-breastfeeding
• WHO. Ten steps to successful breastfeeding.https://www.who.int/teams/nutrition-and-food-safety/food-and-nutrition-actions-in-health-systems/ten-steps-to-successful-breastfeeding