At a glance
Overview
The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 recommend that infants:
- Are exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months.
- Continue breastfeeding while being introduced to appropriate complementary foods for 1 year or longer.
The and also recommend infants:
- Are exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months.
- Continue breastfeeding while being introduced to appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years of age or older.
Most infants receive some breast milk. However, most infants are not exclusively breastfed or continue to breastfeed as long as recommended.
Healthy People 2030 breastfeeding objectives*
| Exclusively through 6 months. |
• Baseline - 24.9%† • Target - 42.4%* |
|---|---|
| At 1 year. |
• Baseline - 35.9%† • Target - 54.1%* |
*
†Baseline rates represent infants born in 2015, National Immunization Survey – Child.
Key breastfeeding indicators for infants born in 2022
Key breastfeeding indicators and current rates
| Ever.* | 85.7% |
|---|---|
| At 6 months.* | 62.1% |
| At 1 year.* | 40.8% |
| Exclusively through 3 months.* | 47.6% |
| Exclusively through 6 months.* | 27.9% |
| Receive formula supplementation within the first 2 days of life.* | 22.9% |
*Current rates represent infants born in 2022, National Immunization Survey – Child 2023–2024.
Rates of breastfeeding vary across states and regions
- Infants living in the Southeast United States are less likely to be breastfed at 6 months than infants living in other areas of the country (map below).1
- Infants in non-metropolitan areas are less likely to ever breastfeed than infants living in metropolitan areas.1
- For state-by-state breastfeeding rates, please visit the NIS-Child Data Results page. Historic data are also available in Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity online Data, Trends, and Maps database.
Percentage of infants breastfed at 6 months
See data table: NIS-Child Breastfeeding Rates by State: 2022 | Breastfeeding Data | CDC
Breastfeeding disparities exist
- Fewer non-Hispanic Black infants (78.1%) are ever breastfed compared with non-Hispanic Asian infants (87.7%), non-Hispanic White infants (87.7%) and Hispanic infants (85.9%).1
- Infants receiving the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are less likely to ever be breastfed (79.2%) than infants eligible, but not receiving WIC (87.5%), and infants ineligible for WIC (92.2%).1
- Younger mothers aged 20 to 29 years are less likely to ever breastfeed (82.4%) than mothers aged 30 years or older (87.5%).1
Why mothers stop breastfeeding early
Sixty percent of mothers do not breastfeed for as long as they intend.2 How long a mother breastfeeds her baby is influenced by many factors, including:
What you can do to support breastfeeding
State and local organizations can support breastfeeding by implementing organizational policies, systems, and environmental solutions. To learn more, visit:
What is being done to improve rates
Breastfeeding is important for the health of mothers and babies. CDC supports continuity of care in breastfeeding support through hospital initiatives, work site accommodation, and community support initiatives.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Immunization Survey-Child (NIS-Child) website. Accessed October 3, 2024.
- Odom EC, Li R, Scanlon KS, Perrine CG, Grummer-Strawn L. . Pediatrics. 2013;131(3):e726–732.
- Sriraman NK, Kellams A. . J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2016;25(7):714–722.
- Feltner C, Weber RP, Stuebe A, Grodensky CA, Orr C, Viswanathan M. . Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); July 2018.