Infant feeding statistics
Financial year 2025 to 2026

About this release

This annual release from Public Health Scotland (PHS) provides an update of infant feeding statistics among children eligible for child health reviews in the financial year 2025/26.

Supporting breastfeeding is an important public health activity, with strong evidence that breastfeeding protects the health of children and mothers. The information is collected at health visitor reviews of children at 10-14 days (first visit), 6-8 weeks, and 13-15 months of age.

Main points

• Breastfeeding rates continue to rise and in 2025/26, 70% of babies in Scotland were breastfed for at least some time after their birth, compared with 63% in 2016/17.
• There are substantial inequalities in breastfeeding between those living in the least and most deprived areas. However, these inequalities are reducing as recent increases in breastfeeding have been most marked among those living in more deprived areas.

Chart showing overall breastfeeding rates in the most deprived and least deprived quintiles, and the reduction in inequalities between 2002/03 and 2025/26

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Overall breastfeeding (exclusive or mixed) at 6-8 week review by deprivation level 2002/03 - 2025/26

*Deprivation level is measured by SIMD(Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation)

• Over the past 10 years the proportion of babies receiving some breastfeeding has increased at both the first visit (63% in 2025/26 vs 49% in 2015/16) and 6-8 week review (54% in 2025/26 vs 38% in 2015/16).
• Breastfeeding is being maintained for longer. In 2025/26, among those who report breastfeeding at any point, just over one in five (23%) had stopped breastfeeding by 6-8 weeks. This compares with over a third (36%) who had stopped breastfeeding by 6-8 weeks in 2016/17.

Background

There is strong evidence that breastfeeding provides the best nutrition for babies. It supports children’s health in the short and longer term, including through reduced risk of infections, and also benefits mothers’ health, including through reducing the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. Current guidance recommends that babies receive just breast milk for the first 6 months of life, then, after introduction of solid foods, should continue to breastfeed up to at least their second birthday.

Improving breastfeeding rates in Scotland would help to improve the health of babies and mothers, and reduce inequalities in health. There is good evidence that interventions can work to improve breastfeeding rates. These include ensuring good quality of breastfeeding support for mothers, as well as wider interventions, such as influencing public attitudes to breastfeeding, restricting the inappropriate promotion of formula milk, and ensuring supportive employment policies.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be November 2027.