The World Health Organization’s latest report shows that nearly half of all babies globally are now exclusively breastfed for the first six months, a significant increase over the past twelve years. However, this progress is overshadowed by a massive rise in baby formula sales, which have more than doubled worldwide in the last two decades. Despite the proven benefits of breastfeeding, including essential nutrients and immune protection, formula marketing remains aggressive, especially in countries like China, which leads the global market. The report highlights a troubling gap: while breastfeeding rates are highest in South Asia and Africa, developed regions like North America and Eastern Europe lag behind, revealing a complex battle between breastfeeding advocacy and formula industry influence.
However, there’s more to the story. Despite this progress, the use of breast milk substitutes, like formula, has more than doubled around the world in the last 20 years. Research shows that breastfeeding has many benefits, but some studies suggest that when you account for wealthier families who are more likely to breastfeed, the advantages of breastfeeding might not seem as significant compared to the overall benefits of breast milk.
Breastfeeding provides crucial nutrients, energy, and immune protection that formula can’t match. In developing countries, where clean water can be a problem, breast milk is a safer choice. Even though formula can be contaminated, aggressive marketing and high spending by the formula industry often downplay these risks.
The WHO advises mothers to exclusively breastfeed for the first 6 months and continue breastfeeding with added foods until the baby is 2 years old or more. Yet, many factors can affect a mother’s ability to follow this advice, such as returning to work, personal preferences, and physical challenges.
According to data from UNICEF, breastfeeding rates are highest in South Asia and Eastern and Southern Africa, where about 60 percent of babies under 6 months are exclusively breastfed. On the other hand, breastfeeding rates are lower in North America (26 percent) and Eastern Europe and Central Asia (36 percent). Data from Western Europe isn’t fully available, but generally, breastfeeding rates are lower across Europe.
Interestingly, despite the high breastfeeding rates in Asia, China is the largest market for baby formula globally. In 2024, sales in China are expected to reach nearly $17 billion, far surpassing the $6.2 billion in the United States. Although spending per person is lower in China compared to the U.S., the overall market is huge. The popularity of formula in developed countries and among China’s growing middle class explains the large market size.
Chinese families face heavy marketing of baby formula, and recent surveys show that urban Chinese women are especially exposed to these ads. The global baby formula market is massive, valued at almost $54 billion. Vietnam, another country with intense formula marketing, ranks as the fifth-largest market. Indonesia is third, and Vietnam has the highest per-person spending on formula among the top five markets. This high spending is notable given that only 17 percent of babies in Vietnam are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months.
