Stories
10 stories that shaped our work in global nutrition this year
December 19, 2025
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[description] => Discover the personal stories of people whose lives have been impacted by better nutrition, and those working tirelessly to deliver it, and what’s top of mind for our technical experts as they share the latest on cutting-edge nutrition research, policy updates, and implementation guidance.
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Story
Making the case for breastfeeding
A new global investment case shows that when mothers are supported to breastfeed, countries unlock powerful gains in child survival, human capital and economic growth.
Posted on August 4, 2026
Breastfeeding is often described as one of the most effective ways to give children the best possible start in life. But too many women face barriers that make breastfeeding difficult or unsustainable, such as misinformation, insufficient support, inadequate maternity protection and unsupportive workplace policies. The result is slow progress, preventable deaths and significant economic losses. Against this backdrop, the Global Breastfeeding Collective launched a new Global Investment Case for Improved Breastfeeding produced by Nutrition Internation and commissioned by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
Using updated modelling from the Cost of Not Breastfeeding Tool, the report shows that when countries invest in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, they improve health outcomes and strengthen economies.
Here are five key insights shaping the case for action.
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Not breastfeeding comes at a high global cost
The consequences of inadequate support for breastfeeding are staggering.
Each year, not breastfeeding according to recommendations leads to USD $339 billion in economic losses. Without changing course, cumulative economic losses could exceed USD $3 trillion over the next decade.
The magnitude of these numbers is difficult to comprehend and the cost extends far beyond the economy. Every year, over 383,000 preventable child deaths and 138,000 avoidable maternal deaths are linked to inadequate breastfeeding. The consequences also include 58 million years of education and approximately 168 million IQ points lost annually.
But this doesn’t need to be the reality.
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We know what works
Breastfeeding is a journey that spans pregnancy, childbirth, early infancy and return to work. The investment case highlights six proven interventions that collectively enable mothers to breastfeed:
- Skilled counselling support for infant and young child feeding
- Implementation of the 10 Steps to Successful Breastfeeding through the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative
- National breastfeeding awareness campaigns
- Strong regulation on marketing breastmilk substitutes
- Paid maternity leave
- Workplace breastfeeding support and policies
These interventions recognize a fundamental truth: mothers succeed when systems support them. This needs to happen at home, in clinics and in the workplace.
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Change is possible at different investment levels
To help governments understand different investment options, the investment case groups proven breastfeeding interventions into three packages of support.
The core package focuses on support around birth and the early postpartum period through the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, and skilled breastfeeding counselling, whether in a facility-setting or at home. The core plus package adds national breastfeeding promotion campaigns and enforcement of the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes. The full system support package goes further by adding paid maternity leave and workplace breastfeeding support and policies.
Together, the packages show what becomes possible as countries invest in increasingly comprehensive support for mothers throughout their breastfeeding journey.
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Better breastfeeding support saves lives
The findings highlight that investments in breastfeeding support are ultimately investments in child survival and long-term national development.
Over a 10-year period, scaling up the core package to 75% coverage in high-burden countries is projected to avert more than 224,000 child deaths. The core plus package could avert about 254,000 child deaths. The full system package delivers the greatest impact, preventing approximately 263,000 child deaths. Exclusive breastfeeding according to recommendations not only prevents child mortality, but also prevents cases of diarrhea, acute respiratory infections and childhood obesity in children.
Further, countries can prevent losses in learning and cognitive development that affect children throughout their lives. Over the same 10-year period, the full system package is projected to avert the loss of more than 133 million years of education and 382 million IQ points, with all packages delivering meaningful returns.
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Supporting mothers pays off for everyone
Every package examined in the investment case delivers a strong positive return on investment, up to USD $59 for every $1 invested.
This underscores one of the central conclusions of the investment case: when countries invest in protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding, they create benefits that extend far beyond individual families. Health systems save resources, economies become more productive and children have a better chance to survive, learn and thrive.
Improving breastfeeding rates needs more than awareness. It requires deliberate, sustained investment in the systems that shape women’s realities — from hospitals and communities to labour markets and policy environments. With new data, tools and evidence at hand, governments and donors now have what they need to act. The question is no longer whether breastfeeding works. It is whether we will invest in the support systems that make it possible.
Explore the investment case.
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