2025 global immunization coverage report

On 15 July 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF released the annual WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) for 2025. The report shows that 90% of infants globally received at least one dose of the DTP vaccine, and 85% completed the full three-dose series, both up one percentage point from 2024 but still below 2019 levels. An estimated 13.5 million children were zero-dose, a decrease of 750,000 from the previous year. However, 7.3 million infants dropped out after the first DTP dose, contributing to stalled measles coverage (84% MCV1, 77% MCV2), well below the 95% threshold. Consequently, 57 countries reported large measles outbreaks in 2025. The report highlights disparities: more than half of zero-dose children live in fragile, conflict-affected or vulnerable countries (FCVs). Syria lost 6 percentage points on DTP1 and 12 on MCV1, while Sudan increased DTP1 by 35 points and MCV1 by 22 points. In middle- and high-income countries, coverage declined due to political shifts and hesitancy, e.g., South Africa's DTP1 fell 20 points since 2019, and Bosnia and Herzegovina saw a 23-point drop in MCV1. The report warns that cuts to international health financing and weakening data systems threaten progress. WHO, UNICEF, and Gavi call for strengthened immunization in conflict settings, countering misinformation, increased funding, and better data systems.