Global childhood immunisation coverage improved slightly in 2025, but conflict, poverty and vaccine hesitancy still left millions of children without life-saving protection, according to new data from UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Global vaccine coverage records slight gains
According to the 2025 WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC), 90 per cent of infants worldwide, or nearly 116 million children, received at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine. Furthermore, 85 per cent, or about 110 million infants, completed the recommended three-dose schedule.
Both figures increased by one percentage point from 2024. However, global coverage still remains one percentage point below the 2019 level and has stayed within a narrow range since 2009.
Meanwhile, an estimated 13.5 million “zero-dose” children received no vaccine during their first year of life in 2025. Although that figure dropped by nearly 750,000 from the previous year, more children started their vaccination schedule but failed to complete it. Most of these children live in countries where Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, supports national immunisation programmes.
Measles protection remains below target
The report also showed that about 7.3 million infants received their first DTP dose but did not return for their first measles vaccine. Consequently, global measles vaccination coverage remained stuck at 84 per cent for the first dose (MCV1) and 77 per cent for the second dose (MCV2).
Both figures remain well below the 95 per cent coverage needed to stop outbreaks of the highly contagious disease. As a result, 57 countries recorded large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2025.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said governments and health workers helped restore vaccination rates after the sharp decline recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Governments and health workers have helped global vaccination rates bounce back after dropping significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Russell said. “But millions of vulnerable children are still being left unprotected due to conflict, displacement, and poverty. We must reach every child, and we must rebuild trust where it is fraying. No child should suffer from a disease that a simple vaccine can prevent.”
Progress varies across regions
According to the report, data from 195 countries showed that 100 countries have maintained at least 90 per cent coverage for the three-dose DTP vaccine since 2019. However, that number has barely changed over the past six years.
In response, 30 countries that fell below the 90 per cent mark in 2019 improved their coverage. However, 65 countries either stagnated or slipped backwards, including 13 fragile, conflict-affected or vulnerable countries.
Furthermore, the Americas and South-East Asia fully recovered and improved on their pre-pandemic performance, with South-East Asia becoming the best-performing region. Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe also recorded gains last year, but vaccination rates in those regions still remain below 2019 levels.
Meanwhile, the Western Pacific recorded a decline, making it the region furthest below its pre-COVID-19 vaccination coverage.
