Breastfeeding by age of baby, type of breastfeeding and local health board

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Next update expected:July 2026

Updates

19th December 2025
Dataset first published.

Main information

Designation
Accredited official statistics
Data provider
Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW)
Data source
National Community Child Health Database (NCCHD)
Time period covered
January 2014 to December 2024

Overview

Summary of dataset and variables

Number and percentage of babies breastfed by age of baby, type of breastfeeding and local health board.

These statistics are derived from 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 extracted and refers to records where there was any breastfeeding. Data are provided to the Welsh Government by Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW).

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

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.

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 the analysis in the statistical release refers only to live births.

Statistical quality

The NCCHD is a live database, 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. Not all records on the National Community Child Health Database have complete records for breastfeeding status.

The completeness rate decreases with the age of the baby and in 2024, was as follows:

  • 92% at birth
  • 88% at 10 days
  • 79% at six weeks
  • 78% at 6 months.

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

From 1st April 2019 health service provision for residents of Bridgend local authority moved from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg to Cwm Taf. The health board names changed to Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board and Swansea Bay University Health Board. Data for Abertawe Bro Morgannwg and Cwm Taf are available for previous years in this table. More detailed information on the sources of data and analyses in this statistical release are provided in the quality report.

Related reports

Published by

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