For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers in NSW, the percentage of babies fully breastfed at the time of discharge from hospital decreased from 61.2% to 55.8% between 2018 and 2022. By comparison, 66.6% of babies born to non-Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers were fully breastfed at the time of discharge from hospital in 2022. The percentage of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander mothers who partially breastfed their baby rose from 10.3% in 2018 to 15.7% in 2022.
Source: NSW Perinatal Data Collection (SAPHaRI). Centre for Epidemiology and Evidence, NSW Ministry of Health.
Due to under-reporting of Aboriginal mothers to the Perinatal Data Collection, it is likely that the true numbers of mothers and babies are higher than shown. For more information refer to Estimated level of reporting. Table excludes 3,663 mothers where the mother’s Aboriginality was not stated.
