Breastfeeding is one of the best buys in global health to improve social, health, and economic development outcomes. Globally, improving breastfeeding practices could save more than 820,000 lives annually—87 percent of them infants under six months of age. In Madagascar, only 42 percent of babies are exclusively breastfed for six months, falling below the global target of 50 percent. Failing to breastfeed according to World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommendations amounts to real costs in human life, quality of life, and national economic outcomes.

Research completed by Alive & Thrive and published by Health Policy and Planning Journal in June 2019 has quantified the economic toll that inadequate breastfeeding takes on individuals, communities, and countries.

Visit A&T's Cost of Not Breastfeeding online tool to explore the data relevant to Madagascar.