When is World Breastfeeding Week?
World Breastfeeding Week 2027
Sun, Aug 1, 2027 – Sat, Aug 7, 2027
August 1 to 7 every year. That's in 288 days.
until World Breastfeeding Week begins, in your time zone
World Breastfeeding Week is a global campaign that promotes breastfeeding as one of the most effective ways to protect child health, and calls for the support parents need to breastfeed, from health services to workplaces and family policies.
About World Breastfeeding Week
Breastfeeding gives babies nutrition and protection against illness, and it has health benefits for mothers too. WHO says it is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival, yet fewer than half of infants under six months old are exclusively breastfed. The week focuses less on individual choices than on the conditions that make breastfeeding possible: skilled help after birth, community support, paid leave, breaks and private space at work, and laws that curb aggressive marketing of breast-milk substitutes.
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA), a global network formed in 1991, organizes the week. Its dates commemorate the Innocenti Declaration on breastfeeding, signed on August 1, 1990, at a meeting held by WHO and UNICEF. WABA first proposed a single World Breastfeeding Day, then settled on a full week, and the first World Breastfeeding Week took place in 1992, according to a history published in the Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health.
WHO, UNICEF, health ministries and civil society groups support the week, and a 2018 World Health Assembly resolution endorsed it as an important health promotion strategy. WABA sets a theme each year and publishes posters, action folders and a pledge. Its 2026 campaign focused on tracking breastfeeding progress and on breastfeeding's links to nutrition, food security and poverty reduction.
Sources: World Health Organization: World Breastfeeding Week, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action: World Breastfeeding Week 2026, World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action: About WABA, Brazilian Journal of Mother and Child Health (SciELO): World Breastfeeding Week editorial. How we check dates.
How to mark World Breastfeeding Week
- Ask your employer what lactation breaks, private space and parental leave it offers, and suggest improvements if they fall short.
- Offer practical help to a new parent, such as cooking a meal, doing laundry or running errands.
- Share the contact details of local lactation consultants, breastfeeding support groups or helplines with expecting friends.
- If you are expecting, talk to your doctor or midwife before the birth about feeding plans and where to get help early on.
- Make public spaces you manage, such as a shop, office or place of worship, welcoming for parents who need to feed their babies.
World Breastfeeding Week dates
| Year | Dates |
|---|---|
| 2025 | Fri, Aug 1 – Thu, Aug 7 |
| 2026 | Sat, Aug 1 – Fri, Aug 7 |
| 2027 | Sun, Aug 1 – Sat, Aug 7 |
| 2028 | Tue, Aug 1 – Mon, Aug 7 |
| 2029 | Wed, Aug 1 – Tue, Aug 7 |
| 2030 | Thu, Aug 1 – Wed, Aug 7 |
| 2031 | Fri, Aug 1 – Thu, Aug 7 |
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Frequently asked questions
When is World Breastfeeding Week 2027?
World Breastfeeding Week 2027 is Sun, Aug 1, 2027 – Sat, Aug 7, 2027. It falls on August 1 to 7 every year. In 2028, it is on Tuesday, August 1, 2028.
Why is World Breastfeeding Week in the first week of August?
It marks the anniversary of the Innocenti Declaration, a WHO and UNICEF statement on protecting, promoting and supporting breastfeeding that was signed on August 1, 1990.
Who organizes World Breastfeeding Week?
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action coordinates it and sets the yearly theme. WHO, UNICEF and many health ministries support it.
Is World Breastfeeding Week a public holiday?
No. World Breastfeeding Week is an observance, not a public holiday, so schools, banks, government offices and most businesses keep their normal hours.