Key facts
• About 38% of infants 0 to 6 months old are exclusively breastfed.
• Few children receive nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods; in many countries only a third of breastfed infants 6–23 months of age meet the criteria of dietary diversity and feeding frequency that are appropriate for their age.
• About 220 000 child lives could be saved every year with promotion of optimal breastfeeding and appropriate complementary feeding, and the provision of supplements in food-insecure populations.