Childhood vaccination rate increases slightly, but millions remain unprotected
New UN data shows a slight recovery in global childhood vaccination rates for 2025, though millions of children remain unprotected due to conflict and poverty. Measles outbreaks are a growing concern as coverage remains below the necessary threshold to prevent spread.
Why it matters
Declining or stagnant vaccination rates pose a significant threat to global public health and the eradication of preventable diseases.
Global childhood immunization programmes continued to recover in 2025, but conflict, poverty and growing vaccine hesitancy are still leaving millions vulnerable to preventable diseases, according to new UN data released on Wednesday.
The annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage reveal 90 per cent of infants worldwide received at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine last year, while 85 per cent completed the recommended three-dose series .
Although both figures increased by one percentage point from 2024, global vaccination coverage remains below pre-pandemic levels.
An estimated 13.5 million children received no vaccines at all during their first year of life in 2025 . While that marks a decline of nearly 750,000 "zero-dose" children compared with the previous year, millions remain beyond the reach of health services.
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