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Collection

Breastfeeding statistics

Statistics and supporting information on breastfeeding, including prevalence at 6 to 8 weeks after birth.

Updates to this page

From:
Office for Health Improvement and Disparities
Published:
26 October 2016
Last updated:
2 January 2026
Show all updates

  1. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks: data for 2025 to 2026' to the collection page.

  2. Updated to add 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks: data for 2024 to 2025'.

  3. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: annual data April 2023 to March 2024' to the collection page.

  4. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks: quarterly data for 2023 to 2024' to the collection page.

  5. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: annual data April 2022 to March 2023' to the collection.

  6. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks: comparison of NHS England and OHID data' to the research and analysis section.

  7. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: quarterly data for 2022 to 2023' to the collection.

  8. Added 'Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth: annual data' to the collection page.

  9. Added 2019 to 2020 quarterly data.

  10. Added new page 'Breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks after birth: 2018 to 2019 quarterly data' to the collection.

  11. Added link to new child and maternal health data and intelligence guidance and new data sets

  12. First published.

The Early years topic on the Child and maternal health section of OHID’s Fingertips data tool brings together indicators on several themes, including current breastfeeding data.

See other Child and maternal health statistics.

NHS England publishes maternity services monthly statistics using the Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS).

Breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth statistics

Quarterly and annual data tables showing local authority data about the number and proportion of infants who have been fully, partially or not at all breastfed at 6 to 8 weeks after birth.

Guidance

The breastfeeding at 6 to 8 weeks after birth data is collected through the following interim reporting system set up to collect health visiting activity data at a local authority resident level. Data is submitted by local authorities on a voluntary basis.

The Community Services Data Set (CSDS) will be used as the basis for these metrics in the longer term, once the data quality has reached a suitable quality.

NHS England’s Maternity Services Data Set (MSDS) also collects and reports data from providers of maternity services including breastfeeding initiation to publish their maternity services monthly statistics.

Research and analysis

Earlier and archived breastfeeding statistics

See NHS England for 6 to 8 weeks breastfeeding statistics from before October 2015.

See below and the Department of Health (DH) for earlier and archived breastfeeding statistics from DH and Public Health England (PHE).

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