The rate of exclusive breastfeeding refers to the percentage of infants who are exclusively fed with breast milk, without any other food or drink, including water. This means that the infant is receiving all their nutrition from their mother's breast milk and nothing else during the entire time they are being breastfed. The rate of exclusive breastfeeding is an important indicator of a country's progress towards achieving optimal infant feeding practices as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF, which promotes exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life to ensure adequate nutrition and health benefits for infants.