Table 1. Background socioeconomic characteristics of the studied countries.
| Variable | Brazil | Ghana | Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total population, no. | 207 833 831 | 29 121 471 | 124 777 324 |
| GDP per capita, PPP$ | 14 236 | 4 051 | 17 956 |
| Informal employment, % of total employment in 2015a | 38.3 | 83.2 | 60.7 |
| Working-age population, no.b | 144 882 359 | 17 219 574 | 82 377 995 |
| No. (%) of working-age women | 73 366 432 (69.5) | 8 495 756 (59.1) | 42 478 203 (66.6) |
| Population of women, no. (%) | 105 601 740 (50.8) | 14 366 668 (49.3) | 63 752 822 (51.1) |
| Fertility rates, total births per woman | 1.7 | 3.9 | 2.2 |
| Current duration of maternity leavec | 120 days (about 17 weeks) | 12 weeks | 14 weeks |
| Exclusive breastfeeding, % of children aged under 6 months in 2014d | 39.0 | 52.1 | 30.1 |
GDP: gross domestic product; PPP$: purchasing power parity constant 2011 international dollars.
a Informal employment is based on a harmonized measure of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The information for Brazil and Ghana is reported in the World Development Indicators,27 and we obtained the data for Mexico from the ILO.28
b Working age was defined as 15–64 years old.
c Data were from the ILO 2014.29 The Mexico Federal Labour Law was modified to 14 weeks in September 2019; before this maternity leave was for 12 weeks.
d Data for Ghana and Brazil were obtained from the World Development Indicators27 and for Brazil from the Global Breastfeeding Collective.30
Data sources: World Development Indicators 201727 (unless otherwise specified).