In 2024, 85 per cent of infants globally – about 109 million – received the recommended three doses of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine, according to the latest WHO and UNICEF estimates of national immunization coverage (WUENIC). This marks an improvement from 84 per cent in 2023 and serves as a key indicator of positive progress in global immunization coverage. However, 20 million children still missed out on life-saving vaccines, including 14.3 million “zero-dose” children, who did not receive a single dose of a DTP-containing vaccine. The new data highlight persistent gaps in immunization coverage – showing that bold and focused effort is needed to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 Goal of halving the number of zero-dose children globally.
Access to vaccines remains deeply unequal. A child’s chances of being vaccinated still depend heavily on country income, geography, national stability and local vaccine confidence. Conflict and humanitarian crises continue to erode progress.
Half of all unvaccinated children live in just 26 countries affected by fragility, conflict or humanitarian crises. In 13 of these, the number of unvaccinated children has increased over the past five years, highlighting the need to integrate immunization into humanitarian response. Additionally, immunization coverage is beginning to slip in some middle-income countries that have transitioned from Gavi support, and signs of decline are also emerging in upper-middle- and high-income countries that previously maintained high coverage.
Learn more about UNICEF's data work on immunization
Explore the following resources:Coverage estimates dashboard
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Datasets
Although global demand for childhood vaccines remains high and protection against more diseases continues to expand, the data points to a concerning future. Funding shortfalls, rising vaccine misinformation, and global instability threaten hard won progress.
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João Pedro Azevedo
Deputy Director
Chief Statistician
Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring
UNICEF
Ephrem T. Lemango
Associate Director, Health
Chief of Immunization
Programme Group
UNICEF
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