WORLD Policy Analysis Center

Are mothers of infants guaranteed breastfeeding breaks at work?

This map tells us whether women are guaranteed the right to breaks for breastfeeding upon their return to work after childbirth, requiring workplaces to provide at least unpaid time for a mother to feed her infant or express milk.

Breastfeeding breaks are commonly guaranteed for a set length of time determined either by a number of months after returning to work or by a child’s age. For comparability, we show the length as the child’s age. If legislation specifies a length of time permitted to breastfeed after the mother returns to work and the mother is also entitled to paid maternal leave, the age shown is the sum of post-birth paid maternal leave and the breastfeeding break entitlement. For example, if a mother is entitled to 3 months of post-birth paid maternity leave and 4 months of breastfeeding breaks once she returns to work (7 months total), we show that she is entitled to breastfeeding breaks until the child is 6-11.9 months old.

The World Health Organization recommends at least 6 months of breastfeeding.

Countries

Algeria - Not guaranteed

Antigua and Barbuda - Not guaranteed

Australia - Not guaranteed

Bahamas - Not guaranteed

Bangladesh - Not guaranteed

Barbados - Not guaranteed

Belize - Not guaranteed

Brunei - Not guaranteed

Canada - Not guaranteed

Denmark - Not guaranteed

Dominica - Not guaranteed

Eritrea - Not guaranteed

Ethiopia - Not guaranteed

Fiji - Not guaranteed

Finland - Not guaranteed

The Gambia - Not guaranteed

Greenland - Not guaranteed

Grenada - Not guaranteed

Guyana - Not guaranteed

Iceland - Not guaranteed

Jamaica - Not guaranteed

Kenya - Not guaranteed

Democratic People's Republic of Korea - Not guaranteed

Lebanon - Not guaranteed

Malaysia - Not guaranteed

Malta - Not guaranteed

Marshall Islands - Not guaranteed

Micronesia, Federated States of - Not guaranteed

Myanmar - Not guaranteed

Namibia - Not guaranteed

Nauru - Not guaranteed

Nepal - Not guaranteed

Oman - Not guaranteed

Pakistan - Not guaranteed

Palau - Not guaranteed

Seychelles - Not guaranteed

Sierra Leone - Not guaranteed

Singapore - Not guaranteed

South Africa - Not guaranteed

St. Kitts and Nevis - Not guaranteed

St. Lucia - Not guaranteed

St. Vincent and the Grenadines - Not guaranteed

Suriname - Not guaranteed

Thailand - Not guaranteed

Tonga - Not guaranteed

Trinidad and Tobago - Not guaranteed

Uganda - Not guaranteed

United Kingdom - Not guaranteed

Yemen - Not guaranteed

Bhutan - Yes, until child is 1 - 5.9 months old

Eswatini - Yes, until child is 1 - 5.9 months old

Japan - Yes, at least 6 months unpaid

New Zealand - Yes, at least 6 months unpaid

United States of America - Yes, at least 6 months unpaid

Afghanistan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Albania - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Andorra - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Angola - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Argentina - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Armenia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Austria - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Azerbaijan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Bahrain - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Belarus - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Belgium - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Benin - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Bolivia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Bosnia and Herzegovina - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Botswana - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Brazil - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Bulgaria - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Burkina Faso - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Cambodia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Cameroon - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Cabo Verde - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Central African Republic - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Chad - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Chile - Yes, at least 6 months paid

China - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Colombia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Comoros - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Democratic Republic of the Congo - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Republic of the Congo - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Costa Rica - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Cote d'Ivoire - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Croatia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Cuba - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Cyprus - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Czech Republic - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Djibouti - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Dominican Republic - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Ecuador - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Egypt - Yes, at least 6 months paid

El Salvador - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Equatorial Guinea - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Estonia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

France - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Gabon - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Georgia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Germany - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Ghana - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Greece - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Guatemala - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Guinea - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Guinea-Bissau - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Haiti - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Honduras - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Hungary - Yes, at least 6 months paid

India - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Indonesia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Iran - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Iraq - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Ireland - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Israel - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Italy - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Jordan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Kazakhstan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Kiribati - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Republic of Korea - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Kuwait - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Kyrgyzstan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Laos - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Latvia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Lesotho - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Liberia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Libya - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Liechtenstein - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Lithuania - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Luxembourg - Yes, at least 6 months paid

North Macedonia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Madagascar - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Malawi - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Maldives - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Mali - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Mauritania - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Mauritius - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Mexico - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Moldova - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Monaco - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Mongolia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Montenegro - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Morocco - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Mozambique - Yes, at least 6 months paid

The Netherlands - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Nicaragua - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Niger - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Nigeria - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Norway - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Panama - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Papua New Guinea - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Paraguay - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Peru - Yes, at least 6 months paid

The Philippines - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Poland - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Portugal - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Qatar - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Romania - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Russian Federation - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Rwanda - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Samoa - Yes, at least 6 months paid

San Marino - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Sao Tome and Principe - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Saudi Arabia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Senegal - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Serbia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Slovakia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Slovenia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Solomon Islands - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Somalia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

South Sudan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Spain - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Sri Lanka - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Sudan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Sweden - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Switzerland - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Syria - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Tajikistan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Tanzania - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Timor-Leste - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Togo - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Tunisia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Türkiye - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Turkmenistan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Tuvalu - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Ukraine - Yes, at least 6 months paid

United Arab Emirates - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Uruguay - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Uzbekistan - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Vanuatu - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Venezuela - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Vietnam - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Zambia - Yes, at least 6 months paid

Zimbabwe - Yes, at least 6 months paid