Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines

Philippines: Exclusive breastfeeding rate was 54.9% in 2018. ▲ Rising

Latest (2018)
54.9%
World rank
25th
of 72 countries
All-time high
54.9%
in 2018
All-time low
27.0%
in 2011
Years of data
6
1993–2018

Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines, 1993–2018

02040601993200520181993: 28.9 % of children under 6 months1998: 37.5 % of children under 6 months2003: 34 % of children under 6 months2008: 33 % of children under 6 months2011: 27 % of children under 6 months2018: 54.9 % 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

Philippines recorded 54.9% for exclusive breastfeeding rate in 2018. That is the highest value across all 6 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 66.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines peaked at 54.9% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 27.0%, in 2011.

That places Philippines 25th out of 72 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines, year by year

Annual values for Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines, 1993 to 2018.
Year % of children under 6 months Change
1993 28.9%
1998 37.5% +29.8%
2003 34.0% -9.3%
2008 33.0% -3.1%
2011 27.0% -18.1%
2018 54.9% +103.3%

Philippines compared with similar countries

  • Philippines's 54.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 37.2%, 1.5× the median. (20 countries reporting)
  • Philippines's 54.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 54.9%, 1.0× the median. (7 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 33.2% 28.9% 37.5% 2
2000s 33.5% 33.0% 34.0% 2
2010s 41.0% 27.0% 54.9% 2

Countries ranked near Philippines

  1. 22 Tanzania 57.8% compare
  2. 23 Bolivia 55.7% compare
  3. 24 Liberia 55.2% compare
  4. 26 Sierra Leone 54.0% compare
  5. 27 Gambia 53.6% compare
  6. 28 Democratic Republic of Congo 53.6% compare

See the full ranking of 72 places →

More reference data data for Philippines

All data for Philippines →

Frequently asked questions

What is exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines?
Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines was 54.9% in 2018, 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 Philippines?
The highest recorded value was 54.9% in 2018.
What is the lowest exclusive breastfeeding rate recorded in Philippines?
The lowest recorded value was 27.0% in 2011.
How does Philippines rank for exclusive breastfeeding rate?
Philippines ranks 25th out of 72 countries with data for 2018.
Is exclusive breastfeeding rate rising or falling in Philippines?
Over the last ten years it is up 66.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Philippines 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 — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines. Statizoid, drawing on Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNICEF, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/exclusive-breastfeeding-rate/philippines/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/exclusive-breastfeeding-rate/philippines/">Exclusive breastfeeding rate in Philippines</a> — Statizoid

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.