World Breastfeeding Week takes place every year from August 1 through August 7. It has been observed on these same dates annually since 1992, making 2025 its 34th year. In the United States, the entire month of August is recognized as National Breastfeeding Awareness Month, with several additional themed weeks following the global observance.
Why August 1–7
The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) coordinates the week as a global campaign, with backing from the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The timing commemorates the 1990 Innocenti Declaration, a landmark agreement in which governments committed to four concrete goals: appointing national breastfeeding coordinators, ensuring maternity facilities follow evidence-based breastfeeding practices, restricting the marketing of breast milk substitutes, and protecting the breastfeeding rights of working mothers through legislation.
Each year carries a specific theme. The 2025 theme is “Prioritize Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems,” reflecting a shift toward the policies and community structures that help families sustain breastfeeding beyond the first days in the hospital.
Other Observances Throughout August
If you’re in the United States, August is packed with related awareness weeks that spotlight communities facing distinct barriers to breastfeeding support:
- August 1–7: World Breastfeeding Week and National WIC Breastfeeding Week
- August 8–14: Indigenous Milk Medicine Week
- August 15–21: Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Breastfeeding Week
- August 25–31: Black Breastfeeding Week
The UK also observes World Breastfeeding Week on the same August 1–7 dates, with NHS trusts across the country running local events and resources for new parents.
Where Global Breastfeeding Rates Stand
A major reason the week exists is a persistent gap between recommendations and reality. The WHO target is for at least 60% of infants worldwide to be exclusively breastfed for their first six months by 2030, up from an earlier goal of 50%. In the United States, CDC data for infants born in 2019 shows that while 83.2% started out receiving some breast milk, only 24.9% were still exclusively breastfed at six months. More than half (55.8%) were receiving at least some breast milk at that point, but the drop-off is steep.
That gap reflects real-world obstacles: returning to work without adequate break time or pumping space, limited access to lactation support, and aggressive marketing of infant formula. The week is designed to push those structural issues into public conversation rather than place the burden solely on individual parents.
Workplace Protections in the US
One of the most practical outcomes tied to breastfeeding advocacy is workplace policy. Under the PUMP Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, US employers are required to provide breastfeeding employees with reasonable break time to express milk for one year after a child’s birth, plus a clean, private space that is not a bathroom. These protections apply broadly, though enforcement and awareness remain uneven. If you’re returning to work and planning to pump, knowing these rights before your first day back gives you a starting point for the conversation with your employer.