Vaccination Coverage
Global DTP3 vaccination coverage recovered to 84% in 2024 — close to the pre-pandemic level but still short of the 90% target that defines the WHO Immunization Agenda 2030. An estimated 14.5 million children received no routine vaccine doses in 2024, with the largest concentrations in Nigeria, India, the DRC, Pakistan and Ethiopia.
Key insights
COVID-era backslide largely reversed
Routine immunisation services were disrupted across 2020–22; DTP3 coverage fell from 86% (2019) to 81% (2021). The 2024 recovery to 84% closed most of the gap. Measles is the exception — declining coverage and increased mobility have driven the largest measles resurgence in a decade, with outbreaks in the US, UK, EU and across the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Zero-dose children cluster geographically
Of 14.5M zero-dose children in 2024, roughly half live in just 10 countries. Nigeria (2.1M), India (1.6M), Ethiopia (1.1M) and the DRC (1.0M) lead. The concentration is partly conflict-driven (Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan) and partly the result of weak primary care reaching remote and slum populations.
HPV is the slowest-rolling major vaccine
Coverage of HPV (the cervical cancer vaccine) in high-income countries averages 76% for girls aged 15. In lower-income countries it is 21%. Single-dose schedules approved by WHO in 2022 cut logistics costs by half and have accelerated rollout in Bhutan, Rwanda, Kenya and Indonesia. The 90/70/90 cervical cancer elimination target requires 90% HPV coverage by age 15 globally by 2030.
Global DTP3 coverage 2000–2024
% of one-year-olds receiving 3 doses of DTP-containing vaccine
Key Finding: Coverage rose steadily from 72% (2000) to 86% (2019), dipped to 81% (2021) during the pandemic, and recovered to 84% by 2024.
Zero-dose children — top countries (2024)
Children receiving no routine vaccine doses, millions
Key Finding: Just five countries account for over 40% of the global zero-dose population.
Methodology & caveats
WUENIC estimates
WHO and UNICEF produce annual estimates that reconcile administrative reports from countries with household survey data. Coverage figures are estimated, not observed — survey lags and administrative inflation in some settings mean small year-on-year movements should be read with caution.
DTP3 as a system indicator
DTP3 (the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-containing vaccine, typically pentavalent in most countries) is the standard proxy for the strength of a routine immunisation programme. A child receiving DTP3 by 12 months has typically had contact with primary health services three times, which proxies for system reach.
Vaccine schedule variation
Schedules vary by country. WHO recommends a core set (BCG, DTP-Hib-HepB, polio, measles, rotavirus, pneumococcal, HPV) but introduction dates differ. New vaccines (RTS,S and R21 for malaria, dengue, RSV) are being phased in through Gavi's portfolio and direct national procurement.