Value of Breastfeeding in GDP

A long‑run, quantitative approach can treat unpaid breastfeeding as an economically measurable input comparable to historical industries, changing national‑income accounting and our view of past human‑capital investment. If breastfeeding historically contributed a material share of output and health capital, declines in breastfeeding with rising incomes reshape narratives about the demographic transition and the indirect costs of marketization. — Recasting breastfeeding as an economic input alters debates over parental leave, care subsidies, historical GDP comparisons, and how demographic shifts interact with economic development.