Breastfeeding by age of baby and age of mother

See what variables and values are shown in your table

Variable	Visibility	Selected values	Action
Year	Shown in table	All 10 values	Change values
Area	Shown in table	Wales	Value cannot be changed
Age of mother	Shown in table	All 10 values	Change values
Age of baby	Shown in table	All 5 values	Change values
Breastfeeding status	Shown in table	All 6 values	Change values
Data description	Shown in table	All 2 values	Change values

Table

Standard shorthand is used in this table: [z] = not applicable.

Data values	Data description	Year	Area	Age of mother	Age of baby	Breastfeeding status
30,474	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	All records
[z]	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	All records
18,171	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Breastfeeding
62.1	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Breastfeeding
11,081	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Not breastfeeding
37.9	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Not breastfeeding
1,222	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Breastfeeding not stated
4.0	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Breastfeeding not stated
30,474	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Records with valid breastfeeding data
[z]	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Records with valid breastfeeding data
0	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Records with invalid breastfeeding data
[z]	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Intention	Records with invalid breastfeeding data
33,004	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	All records
[z]	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	All records
18,254	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Breastfeeding
60.9	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Breastfeeding
11,722	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Not breastfeeding
39.1	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Not breastfeeding
3,028	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Breastfeeding not stated
9.2	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Breastfeeding not stated
33,004	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Records with valid breastfeeding data
[z]	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Records with valid breastfeeding data
0	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Records with invalid breastfeeding data
[z]	Percentage	2016	Wales	All ages	Birth	Records with invalid breastfeeding data
32,905	Number	2016	Wales	All ages	10 days	All records

Showing 1 to 25 of 5,952 rows

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Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.

Next update expected:June 2027

Updates

• 7th July 2026: Dataset first published.

Main information

• Designation: Accredited official statistics
• Data provider 1: Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
• Data source 1: Maternity Indicators Dataset (MIDS)
• Data provider 2: Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
• Data source 2: National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD)
• Time period covered: January 2016 to December 2025
• Dataset ID: 50363b1d-6745-48d6-b3c8-828329a6dd04

Overview

• Summary of dataset and variables:

  Number and percentage of babies breastfed by age of baby broken down by local health board, age of mother and ethnic group.

  These statistics are derived from two data sources: the Maternity Indicators dataset where a mother’s intention to breastfeed prior to birth is recorded and the National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD) where data for breastfeeding at birth and for babies turning 10 days, 6 weeks and 6 months is recorded and refers to records where there was any breastfeeding.

  Both data sources are provided to the Welsh Government by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW).

  The Maternity Indicators dataset combines records from a mother’s initial assessment with a child’s birth record. The Maternity Indicators dataset allows us to analyse characteristics of the mother’s pregnancy and birth process, of which ‘intention to breastfeed’ is one.

  The NCCHD was established in 2004 and consists of anonymised records for all children born, resident or treated in Wales and born after 1987. The database brings together data from local Community Child Health System databases which are held by local health boards (LHBs), and its main function is to provide an online record of a child’s health and care from birth to leaving school age. The statistics used in this release are based on the data recorded at birth and shortly after birth.

  Full details of every data item available on both the Maternity Indicators dataset and National Community Child Health Database are available through the NHS Wales Data Dictionary.

• Data collection or calculation:

  Data from the Maternity Indicators dataset only includes initial assessment data where the initial assessment and birth both occurred in the same health board, in Wales only.

  Births to Welsh resident mothers who gave birth in England or in any other country outside of Wales are not included in the intention to breastfeed data.

  Data for each calendar year refers to when the baby was born. The NCCHD includes records of all children born in, resident in or receiving services in their relevant local health boards. This means the database contains some information for some children not currently residing in Wales; however, unless otherwise stated, all statistics produced from data sourced from this database is filtered to only include those children born in Wales.

  Data on breastfeeding at birth, 10 days, 6 weeks and 6 months refers to the time period in which the activity occurred, rather than when the child was born.

  'Breastfeeding Status' categories have changed since first published to include 'Records with valid breastfeeding data' and 'Records with invalid breastfeeding data' in addition to the existing categories. Data is considered invalid if it has been excluded due to being coded incorrectly or is largely missing. See quality report..

  The percentages are of the total number of records with stated breastfeeding status.

  The total number of records for percentage calculations at each point are:

  • the number of women due to give birth for 'Intention to breastfeed'
  • all live births for 'birth'
  • and of babies turning the reference age for all other age points.

  The NCCHD records both live and stillbirths, however this analysis refers only to live births.

• Statistical quality:

  The Maternity Indicators dataset and NCCHD are live databases, meaning health boards can amend data for any period.

  For the statistics in this release, DHCW take data extracts from a single point in time, for the latest calendar year. Welsh Government will not make revisions to historical data unless errors are discovered.

  Breastfeeding data at all points in time are subject to data quality issues as some mothers and babies have incomplete records.

  Breastfeeding data at 10 days, 6 weeks and 6 months is collected when the children have health visitor and GP appointments through the Healthy Child Wales Programme. If a child does not receive a contact, their breastfeeding data may be missing at that contact point.

  The completeness rate decreases with the age of the baby and in 2025, was as follows:

  • 98% for intention to breastfeed
  • 89% at birth
  • 91% at 10 days
  • 88% at six weeks
  • 84% at 6 months.

  A completeness table for all data items used in this release from both data sources is available in the quality report.

  Aneurin Bevan have not provided correctly recorded data for the intention to breastfeed data item in 2024 so have been excluded from the intention to breastfeed analysis. All health boards are included for the other age points.

• Related reports:
  • Breastfeeding Data
  • Breastfeeding data quality report
  • Maternity and birth statistics

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: stats.healthinfo@gov.wales