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Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health
Life expectancy at birth
Maternal mortality ratio
Stillbirth rate
Neonatal mortality rate
Infant mortality rate
Under 5 mortality rate
Antenatal care coverage: 4+ visits
Antenatal care coverage: 8+ visits
Births attended by skilled health personnel
Postpartum care coverage for mothers
Postnatal care coverage for newborns
Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months
Coverage of first dose of measles vaccination
Stunting - short height for age under age 5
Wasting – low weight for height under age 5
Overweight - heavy for height under 5
Sexual and Reproductive Health
Child marriage before age 15
Child marriage before age 18
Female genital mutilation
Sexual violence by age 18 - female
Sexual violence by age 18 - male
Very early child bearing under age 16
Adolescent birth rate ages 15 to 19
Contraceptive prevalance rate, modern methods, all women
Demand satisfied for modern contraception
Communicable Diseases
New HIV infections
Antiretroviral treatment coverage
Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV
Condom use
New TB infections
New malaria infections
Non-Communicable Diseases
Mortality from non-communicable diseases
Suicide mortality rate
Current tobacco use among females aged 15 and over
Current tobacco use among males aged 15 and over
Harmful alcohol use aged 15 and over
Health Financing
External health expenditure as % current health expenditure
Government health expenditure as % current health expenditure
Government health expenditure as % GDP
Government health expenditure as % general govt expenditure
Government health expenditure per capita
Out-of-pocket health expenditure as % of current health expenditure
Percentage of national health budget allocated for reproductive health
Health systems and policies
Density of health workers - physicians
Density of health workers - nurses and midwives
Density of health workers - pharmaceutical staff
Qualified obstetricians
Birth registration
At least basic drinking water
At least basic sanitation services
Open defecation
Implementation of AMRH Initiative

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What does it mean ?
Full Name: Percentage of infants 0─5 months of age who received only breast milk during the previous day
Full Unit: Percentage, %
Year-range of Data: 2005 - 2017
Source: UNICEF
Link to Source: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/
Date Source Published: 21st May 2018
Date Source Accessed: 21st January 2019
Target Source: WHO
Link to Target: [link]http://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/[/link]

The following countries had no data:
Libya, Mauritius, SADR, Seychelles

Alternative Data Sources
The target is taken from the target source as shown in the table on the left. This is the internationally agreed target for this indicator and country. Most targets are the same for all countries, but some may have different values for each country. Some indicators have no internationally agreed targets.

The threshold is taken from the same source where available. The threshold is an easier value than the target but shows good progress in achieving the target. For more details, go to ‘Find out more about indicator and sources’ via the Indicators page.

Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months

What does it mean ?

This is the proportion of infants 0-5 months of age (from birth to less than 6 months) who are fed exclusively with breast milk. The indicator does include infants who 0-5 months of age who received ORS drops, and minerals, vitamins and medicines in syrup form, but no other food or water.

Why does it matter ?

Proper feeding of infants and young children can increase their chances of survival. It can also promote optimal growth and development. Ideally, infants should be breastfed within one hour of birth and breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life. Exclusive breastfeeding is a cornerstone of child survival and child health because it provides essential, irreplaceable nutrition for a child’s growth and development. It serves as a child’s first immunization – providing protection from respiratory infections, diarrhoeal disease, and other potentially life-threatening ailments. Exclusive breastfeeding also has a protective effect against obesity and certain noncommunicable diseases later in life. Exclusive breastfeeding for infants under 6 months forms part of the Global Strategy for Women's, Children's and Adolescents' Health (2016-2030). The related global nutirion target is to Increase the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6 months up to at least 50% by 2025.

How is it collected ?

The preferred sources of data are household surveys, specific population surveys and surveillance systems. US Agency for International Development–supported Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and UNCEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) include questions on liquids and foods given the previous day, as well as the number of milk feeds the previous day, to find out if the child is being exclusively breastfed.

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More about indicator, sources and calculations

More about indicator and sources

Proper feeding of infants and young children can increase their chances of survival. Ideally, infants should be breastfed within one hour of birth, breastfed exclusively for the first six months of life and continue to be breastfed up to 2 years of age and beyond. Starting at 6 months, breastfeeding should be combined with safe, age-appropriate feeding of solid, semi-solid and soft foods.

An infant that is not exclusively breastfed could be at a substantially greater risk of death from diarrhoea or pneumonia than one who is. Moreover, breastfeeding supports infants’ immune systems and may protect them later in life from chronic conditions such as obesity and diabetes. In addition, breastfeeding protects mothers against certain types of cancer and other health conditions. Adequate feeding from 6 months onwards can prevent undernutrition and decrease the risk of infectious diseases, such as diarrhoea and pneumonia. Yet despite all the potential benefits, only about two fifths of infants 0-5 months of age worldwide are exclusively breastfed, and only around two thirds are introduced to solid foods in a timely manner.

To read more about the global nutrition targets, go to: https://www.who.int/nutrition/global-target-2025/en/

To read more about the related sustainble development goals, see here:https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs

More information on calculations

The indicator is measured by the number of infants 0-5 months of age who received only breast milk during the previous day, divided by the number of infants 0-5 months of age, multiplied by 100. The WHO and UNICEF together collect data on infant and young child feeding, combining information from national surveys.

For further information, visit: https://data.unicef.org/topic/nutrition/infant-and-young-child-feeding/

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