Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Paraguay

Paraguay: Exclusive breastfeeding rate was 29.6% in 2016. ▲ Rising

Latest (2016)
29.6%
World rank
58th
of 72 countries
All-time high
29.6%
in 2016
All-time low
7.0%
in 1996
Years of data
5
1990–2016

Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Paraguay, 1990–2016

510152025301990200320161990: 8.7 % of children under 6 months1996: 7 % of children under 6 months2004: 21.9 % of children under 6 months2008: 24.4 % of children under 6 months2016: 29.6 % of children under 6 months

Source: Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 6 months.

Analysis

Paraguay recorded 29.6% for exclusive breastfeeding rate in 2016. That is the highest value across all 5 years on record.

That represents a change of up 35.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding rate in Paraguay peaked at 29.6% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 7.0%, in 1996.

That places Paraguay 58th out of 72 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 7.8% 7.0% 8.7% 2
2000s 23.1% 21.9% 24.4% 2
2010s 29.6% 29.6% 29.6% 1

Countries ranked near Paraguay

  1. 55 Morocco 35.0% compare
  2. 56 Somalia 33.7% compare
  3. 57 Guinea 33.4% compare
  4. 59 Nigeria 28.7% compare
  5. 60 North Macedonia 27.5% compare
  6. 61 Mexico 27.1% compare

See the full ranking of 72 places →

More reference data data for Paraguay

All data for Paraguay →

Frequently asked questions

What is exclusive breastfeeding rate in Paraguay?
Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Paraguay was 29.6% in 2016, according to Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest exclusive breastfeeding rate recorded in Paraguay?
The highest recorded value was 29.6% in 2016.
What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rate recorded in Paraguay?
The lowest recorded value was 7.0% in 1996.
How does Paraguay rank for exclusive breastfeeding rate?
Paraguay ranks 58th out of 72 countries with data for 2016.
Is exclusive breastfeeding rate rising or falling in Paraguay?
Over the last ten years it is up 35.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Paraguay data come from?
The figures come from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Exclusive breastfeeding rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 5 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Exclusive breastfeeding rate
Unit
% of children under 6 months
Source
Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
72 places, 509 data points, 1986–2020
Last refreshed

The share of infants less than six months old who were fed only with breast milk in the past 24 hours. WHO and UNICEF recommend that children be exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life – meaning no other foods or liquids are provided, including water.