Nearly 13.5 million children received no vaccines in 2025 as measles coverage remained below levels needed to prevent outbreaks
By Bunmi Yekini
Global childhood vaccination rates improved slightly in 2025, but millions of children remained unprotected and measles coverage fell far short of levels needed to prevent outbreaks, the World Health Organization and UNICEF said on Wednesday.
About 90% of infants worldwide, or nearly 116 million children, received at least one dose of a vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) last year, while 85%, or 110 million, completed the three-dose series, according to the annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage.
Both indicators rose by one percentage point from 2024 but remained below 2019 levels, with global coverage largely stagnating since 2009.
An estimated 13.5 million “zero-dose” children received no vaccine during their first year of life in 2025, about 750,000 fewer than the previous year. However, the agencies said a growing number of children were starting vaccination schedules but failing to complete them.
About 7.3 million infants received their first DTP dose but dropped out before receiving their first measles vaccine.
Global coverage for the first measles dose stood at 84%, while 77% of children received the second dose, well below the 95% coverage threshold needed to prevent outbreaks. Fifty-seven countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2025.
“Millions of vulnerable children are still being left unprotected due to conflict, displacement and poverty,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said. “We must reach every child, and we must rebuild trust where it is fraying.”
Data from 195 countries showed that 100 countries had maintained at least 90% coverage with three DTP doses since 2019. But 65 countries were stagnating or falling behind, including 13 classified as fragile, conflict-affected or vulnerable.
More than half of all zero-dose children live in fragile or conflict-affected settings, although those countries account for only about a third of the world’s child population, the agencies said.
Vaccination trends also varied sharply across regions. The Americas and South-East Asia have recovered from pandemic-era declines and surpassed their 2019 performance, while Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe remained below pre-pandemic levels. The Western Pacific was the furthest below its 2019 baseline.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said immunisation remained one of the most cost-effective and equitable public health interventions.
“Every child, whether born into wealth or poverty, peace or conflict, deserves the lifesaving protection that vaccines provide,” Tedros said.
The agencies warned that cuts to international health financing could threaten further progress, although the full impact of funding reductions announced over the past two years was not yet reflected in the latest estimates.
They also raised concerns about weakening immunisation data systems, saying only 18 national surveys were conducted and submitted in the latest reporting round, down from 50 in 2024.
WHO and UNICEF called for increased domestic and international funding, stronger immunisation programmes in conflict and fragile settings, action against vaccine misinformation, and greater investment in disease surveillance and data systems.
The agencies said the world remained off track to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 target of reducing the number of children who receive no vaccines.