Breastfeeding has substantial immediate and longer-term health benefits for children (Gartner et al. 2005). Yet it is difficult to find estimates that are up-to-date and accurate for all high-income countries.14 The available data suggest that high-income countries have comparatively low breastfeeding rates. The World Health Organization15 reports that between 2006 and 2012, only 25 per cent of infants in the European region were fed only on breast milk in their first six months. This is the lowest rate globally and compares unfavourably with 43 per cent in South-East Asia. More recent estimates by UNICEF16 show the rate of exclusive breastfeeding is above 50 per cent in South Asia and in Eastern and Southern Africa.

The rates of breastfeeding at six and 12 months uses data published in The Lancet in 2016 showing the proportion of infants who are breastfed (not necessarily exclusively) at six and 12 months for 20 countries in the OECD or EU (Victora et al. 2016). The light blue bars show the percentage of infants being breastfed at six months and the dark blue bars denote the percentage who are still being breastfed at 12 months. Norway had the highest rate at six months, but Japan had the highest at 12 months. The lowest rates were 13 per cent in Denmark at six months and 0.5 per cent in the United Kingdom at 12 months. Some of these data date back to 2003. Evidence from the US suggests that mothers tend to stop breastfeeding in the first year of the child’s life because they think that breastmilk no longer satisfies their infants (Li et al. 2008). There are sizeable differences within high-income countries, with better-educated mothers most likely to breastfeed their children.

The WHO guidelines (2017) on breastfeeding provide 12 evidence-based recommendations on protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding in facilities that provide maternity and newborn services. Yet, the guidelines do not discuss how to support breastfeeding in the community or workplace. Working is not necessarily incompatible with breastfeeding; however, new mothers need breastfeeding breaks, places to pump and store milk or quality childcare near their places of work (Heymann, Raub, and Earle 2013, 398). All but seven of the 41 EU/OECD countries – Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Malta and the United Kingdom – guarantee breastfeeding breaks at work until the child is at least six months old, according to the World Policy Analysis Centre.