Nearly 20 million infants missed crucial vaccines in 2024, raising fears of global health setbacks.
WHO and UNICEF urge urgent action as misinformation and conflict threaten child immunization progress.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have issued a joint warning about growing global immunization gaps, revealing that nearly 20 million infants missed at least one dose of diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine in 2024.
According to new data released Tuesday, 14.3 million of those children were classified as “zero-dose”, meaning they did not receive a single dose of any routine vaccine. This represents a setback from global vaccination goals and is 4 million children higher than the 2024 target needed to align with the Immunization Agenda 2030. It’s also 1.4 million more than the baseline recorded in 2019.
Although the trend remains concerning, some incremental progress has been made. Compared to 2023, an additional 171,000 children received at least one vaccine dose, and one million more completed the three-dose DTP series, indicating that many countries are still making headway despite growing challenges.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the life-saving impact of vaccines. “It’s encouraging to see more children being vaccinated, although we still have a lot of work to do,” he said. However, he warned that budget cuts and vaccine misinformation threaten to undo years of progress. “WHO remains committed to supporting countries in finding local solutions and increasing domestic investments to reach every child with vaccines,” he added.
Children often remain unvaccinated due to conflict, limited healthcare access, misinformation, and disrupted supply chains. The report shows that while 131 of 195 countries have consistently achieved at least 90% coverage for the first DTP dose since 2019, only 17 countries with lower coverage have made improvements over the past five years. Meanwhile, 47 countries have either stagnated or regressed, including 22 that previously surpassed 90% but have since dropped below.
A significant concern is the impact of conflict and humanitarian crises. About 25% of the world’s infants live in 26 countries affected by fragility or instability, yet they account for half of all unvaccinated children. In these countries, the number of unvaccinated children rose from 3.6 million in 2019 to 5.4 million in 2024.
There is some positive momentum in 57 low-income countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. These nations collectively reduced the number of under- or unvaccinated children by 600,000 in the past year, thanks to improved coverage and the introduction of new vaccines.
Dr. Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, noted that despite the progress, challenges remain. “Population growth, fragility, and conflict are still major hurdles, and the most vulnerable remain at risk. Continued support from governments and global partners is critical,” she said.
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell added, “We have reached more children with vaccines, but millions are still vulnerable. Shrinking health budgets, fragile systems, misinformation, and conflict all hinder progress. No child should die from a preventable disease.”
Beyond the DTP vaccine, countries, particularly those supported by Gavi, have expanded immunization efforts for HPV, meningitis, rotavirus, pneumococcal disease, and polio. Notably, HPV vaccine coverage among adolescent girls increased from 17% in 2019 to 31% in 2024, primarily through single-dose programs.
Measles vaccination also saw slight gains, with 84% of children receiving the first dose and 76% receiving the second dose. Still, this falls short of the 95% needed to prevent outbreaks. The number of large-scale measles outbreaks has surged, rising from 33 countries in 2022 to 60 in 2024. More than 30 million children remain under-protected against measles.
As health organisations warn of the potential for further setbacks, they continue to call for urgent action and sustained commitment to ensure all children, regardless of geography or circumstance, receive life-saving vaccines.
