ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Regional overview of food security and nutrition 2021: Statistics and trends

3.2 Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life

Exclusive breastfeeding is an essential part of optimal infant and young child feeding and gives children the best start in life. Exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is when a child receives nothing but breastmilk from birth until 6 months of age. EBF is one of the WHA’s six global nutrition targets – expecting countries to increase EBF to at least 50 percent by 2025. Nearly all countries in the region have made progress in this indicator, with the prevalence of EBF increasing over time. Southern Asia and South-eastern Asia are on track to achieve the SDG target for EBF, having made the most significant progress in the region between 2012 and 2019, while Oceania excluding Australia and New Zealand has made less progress. Eastern Asia is off track to meet the SDG target for EBF, as the prevalence in that subregion is decreasing. In Asia and the Pacific, 21 countries are currently above the target of 50 percent, including eight in Southern Asia, four in South-eastern Asia, seven in Oceania and two in Eastern Asia (not all of those countries are shown in Figure 20, as some of them have only one observation).