Investing in breastfeeding saves lives and money

Overview

Investments in breastfeeding support yield some of the highest returns on human capital, yet proven, evidence-based interventions, including counselling, the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, maternity protection, mass media campaigns and enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes, are still not being implemented at the scale required. The cost of inaction is high: underfunding breastfeeding programmes results in an estimated US$339 billion in global economic losses each year, driven by preventable child and maternal deaths, lost years of education and diminished lifetime productivity.

This document outlines the case for accelerated investment, showing that scaling up health system support for breastfeeding alone could generate returns of $59 for every $1 spent. As development financing becomes more constrained, countries must prioritize high-impact investments that deliver the greatest returns for human capital and closing the implementation gap on breastfeeding support is one of the clearest opportunities to do so.