Global childhood vaccination coverage edged upward in 2025 but remained below pre-pandemic levels, with conflict, displacement, poverty, and rising hesitancy leaving millions of infants without full protection, according to estimates published on 15 July 2026 by the World Health Organization and UNICEF.
What Happened
The annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) for 2025 show that 90 percent of infants globally — nearly 116 million children — received at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine. Eighty-five percent, or about 110 million, completed the full three-dose series. Both indicators rose by one percentage point from the previous year.
Despite the gains, global coverage remains one point below 2019 levels and has stayed within a narrow range since 2009. An estimated 13.5 million “zero-dose” children received no vaccine in their first year in 2025. That figure is nearly 750,000 fewer than the year before, but progress is offset by a rising number of children who begin vaccination and do not finish.
Globally, 7.3 million infants received a first DTP dose but dropped out before a first measles dose. Measles coverage held at 84 percent for the first dose (MCV1) and 77 percent for the second (MCV2), well short of the 95 percent threshold needed to prevent outbreaks. Fifty-seven countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2025.
Data from 195 countries show 100 countries have kept at least 90 percent DTP3 coverage since 2019. Of countries below 90 percent in 2019, 30 improved over six years while 65 stagnated or fell behind, including 13 fragile, conflict-affected or vulnerable (FCV) states. Regionally, the Americas and South-East Asia recovered above 2019 levels; Africa, the Eastern Mediterranean, and Europe gained but stayed below pre-COVID levels; the Western Pacific declined and sits furthest below its 2019 baseline.
Why It Matters
Childhood immunization is among the most cost-effective public-health interventions. Over 25 years, sustained investment cut the annual number of zero-dose children by 40 percent. In Gavi-supported countries, average coverage across the full WHO-recommended course is 74 percent.
The agencies warn that the foundations enabling progress are under strain. The full impact of international health-financing cuts announced over the past two years is not yet visible in the estimates, but the data systems used to track coverage are weakening. Only 18 national immunization surveys were submitted this round, down from 50 in 2024 and an average of 33 per year between 2015 and 2019. WHO and UNICEF state that weakening these systems will lead to preventable outbreaks and deaths.
More than half of zero-dose children live in FCV settings, though those settings hold about a third of the world’s child population. In middle- and high-income countries, coverage is slipping due to shifting political commitment, structural challenges, or hesitancy. South Africa’s DTP1 coverage fell 20 points since 2019; Bosnia and Herzegovina dropped 23 points in MCV1 this past year after a 2024 gain.
Background and Context
WUENIC is based on country-reported data from 185 countries for 2025 and covers vaccinations against 13 diseases delivered through routine health systems. Figures are revised annually and should not be compared with prior published reports, the agencies note.
The estimates support the Immunization Agenda 2030 (IA2030), a global strategy to deliver vaccines to everyone, everywhere, at every age. WHO and UNICEF work with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and other partners toward that goal, but the world is off track to cut zero-dose children as targeted.
Sudan recorded the largest single-country gain, raising DTP1 by 35 points and MCV1 by 22 points amid conflict, showing recovery is possible with improved access. Syria, by contrast, lost 6 DTP1 points and 12 MCV1 points in a year.
Competing Claims or Uncertainty
The release presents a unified institutional view from WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi. Catherine Russell, UNICEF Executive Director, credited governments and health workers for recovery since COVID-19 drops but said millions remain unprotected due to conflict, displacement, and poverty. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, called immunization the most equitable intervention and urged protection for all children. Dr Sania Nishtar, Gavi CEO, pointed to historic coverage in lower-income countries but warned of funding constraints and geopolitical uncertainty.
Uncertainty remains in the data itself. The drop in survey submissions limits visibility into true coverage. The agencies state the effects of recent financing cuts are not yet reflected, meaning reported stability may precede deterioration. WUENIC notes do not quantify the separate effects of conflict versus hesitancy on national rates.
Analysis: The one-point gains in both initial and full-series coverage indicate slow recovery in routine immunization rather than a return to pre-2019 norms. Because the release identifies conflict and hesitancy as barriers without subgroup attribution in the summary, the relative weight of each factor is not established by the provided material. The decline in survey frequency is a documented constraint on future accountability.
What to Watch Next
WHO and UNICEF called on governments and partners to strengthen immunization in conflict and fragile settings; counter false health information; sustain domestic and global funding including for Gavi; and invest in data and surveillance systems. Gavi enters a new five-year period with stated aims to maintain momentum against funding and outbreak pressures.
Observers should monitor 2026 survey submissions, which will indicate whether data-system strain worsens. Measles outbreak counts in 2026 will test whether MCV coverage gaps widen. Financing decisions by donors in 2026 will affect Gavi-supported programmes covering most zero-dose children.
Conclusion
The 2025 WUENIC data show marginal global gains that leave coverage below 2019 and far from outbreak-prevention thresholds for measles. Zero-dose and drop-out burdens concentrate in conflict and fragile states, while hesitancy and policy shifts erode coverage in wealthier states. With surveillance capacity declining and financing uncertain, the agencies warn that without corrective action, hard-won gains could reverse.
Sources
WHO News — Global childhood immunization coverage inches forward despite conflict and hesitancy – UNICEF, WHO (released 15 July 2026): https://www.who.int/news/item/15-07-2026-global-childhood-immunization-coverage-inches-forward-despite-conflict-and-hesitancy—unicef–who
Corrections
If you believe this article contains an error, contact Herald Express with the source URL and supporting evidence.
Story synopsis gathered from: WHO News — source
