UNICEF: Breastfeeding in Latin America and the Caribbean

A recent UNICEF report has revealed the worrying figure that only 4 out of every 10 babies under 6 months are exclusively breastfed in Latin America and the Caribbean.

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In view of this alarming fact, the organization's management has proposed to call for greater involvement of national governments in the promotion and support of this important practice for the comprehensive health of the region's children.

The average breastfeeding rate in the Latin American and Caribbean region is below the world average. It is 43.1 percent compared to 48 percent globally, in relation to those children who are exclusively breastfed.

With regard to children who maintain this diet until the age of 23 months, the rate is also very low, about 48 percent on average, when the overall indicator is 65 percent.

Bolivia, Guatemala and Peru are the only countries in the region with an exclusive breastfeeding rate of more than 50 percent in 2020. Among the 13 countries where exclusive breastfeeding rates increased between 2012 and 2020, Belize registered an increase of 24 percentage points, followed by El Salvador 22.7 percentage points and Trinidad and Tobago almost 20 percentage points.

Despite these growth data, the figures are still very low for the countries that have achieved them. "Unfortunately, in Latin America and the Caribbean, most babies under six months of age are not exclusively breastfed," warns Garry Conille, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.

According to Conille, if the figures continue to be so low, it will not be possible to prevent malnutrition efficiently and comprehensively, nor to "promote the well-being of children, without promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding in a more assertive way. Following this path, we will not reach the goal of the sustainable development goals that aim at achieving 70 percent exclusive breastfeeding by 2030."

Among the causes mentioned in the report that keeps the practice of exclusive breastfeeding so low in the region are the incorporation of mothers into working life, which often does not allow mothers to pay differentiated attention to the feeding of infants. Another cause is the lack of political will to create an environment of support or assistance policies, education and promotion of exclusive breastfeeding of national impact.

Although the 14 weeks of maternity leave recommended by the International Labor Organization is insufficient, few countries in the region legally guarantee it for mothers and their breastfeeding children. Only 14 countries provide them, while no more than six countries provide 18 weeks of maternity leave.

There are studies and estimates that assure that guaranteeing correct and responsible exclusive breastfeeding also has a positive impact on the national economy of the countries that favor it. 

"For every $1 invested in promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding, $35 are generated in long-term economic benefits. This smart investment can also contribute to reducing the economic burden on health systems through reductions in childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia," the UNICEF report reveals.