Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in Ethiopia
Ethiopia: Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age was 58.8 % in 2019. ▲ Rising
Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in Ethiopia, 2000–2019
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ethiopia recorded 58.8 % for prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in 2019. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in Ethiopia peaked at 58.8 % in 2019 and was at its lowest, 48.8 %, in 2005.
Ethiopia ranks 11th of 41 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in Ethiopia, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 54.1 % | — |
| 2005 | 48.8 % | -9.8% |
| 2011 | 52 % | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 56.5 % | +8.7% |
| 2019 | 58.8 % | +4.1% |
Ethiopia compared with similar countries
- Ethiopia's 58.8 % is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 53.1 %, 1.1× the median. (28 countries reporting)
- Ethiopia's 58.8 % is above the median for low income countries, which is 54 %, 1.1× the median. (14 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 51.45 % | 48.8 % | 54.1 % | 2 |
| 2010s | 55.77 % | 52 % | 58.8 % | 3 |
Countries ranked near Ethiopia
- 8 Lesotho 60.7 % compare
- 9 Kenya 59.7 % compare
- 10 Guinea-Bissau 59.3 % compare
- 12 Nepal 56.4 % compare
- 13 Mozambique 55.5 % compare
- 14 Madagascar 54.4 % compare
More agriculture & rural data for Ethiopia
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -20.36 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3282 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 306.11 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.93 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0008 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.7589 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 32.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 32.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.7% (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in Ethiopia?
- Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age in Ethiopia was 58.8 % in 2019, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age recorded in Ethiopia?
- The highest recorded value was 58.8 % in 2019.
- What is the lowest prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age recorded in Ethiopia?
- The lowest recorded value was 48.8 % in 2005.
- How does Ethiopia rank for prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age?
- Ethiopia ranks 11th out of 41 countries with data for 2019.
- Is prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age rising or falling in Ethiopia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ethiopia data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding among infants 0-5 months of age (percent) — Value — All age ranges or no breakdown by age — National. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Suite of Gender Indicators presents a set of indicators relevant to agrifood systems that are disaggregated by sex, with the aim of highlighting gender differences across agrifood systems. The initial set of indicators is based on those used in FAO’s 2023 Status of Women in Agrifood Systems (SWAFS) report and on the recommendations of an expert consultation held in December 2023, and covers key dimensions including economic participation, governance, agency, social norms, assets and services, education, health, and nutrition. Indicator selection was informed by expert judgment and by the availability of data with sufficient geographic and temporal coverage to enable meaningful comparisons across regions and over time. While most indicators are produced and published by FAO and other international organizations, the objective of this domain is to provide a one-stop shop for sex-disaggregated data on agrifood systems.