Over 14 million children missed all vaccines in 2024, says WHO and UNICEF report

A new joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that more than 14 million children worldwide received no routine vaccinations in 2024, marking a significant setback in global immunisation efforts.

The report, released on Monday, identified 14.3 million children as “zero-dose” — meaning they did not receive even a single dose of any routine vaccine. This figure is 1.4 million higher than in 2019, the baseline year for tracking global progress, and four million above the 2024 target set under the Immunisation Agenda 2030.

Despite modest gains in overall vaccine coverage, the data highlights worsening disparities, especially in countries facing conflict and humanitarian crises.

Situation in Nigeria

Nigeria has made some progress in routine immunisation, but gaps remain stark. According to UNICEF, about 2.1 million Nigerian children under the age of one — roughly 24 per cent — remained zero-dose in 2024.

Coverage for the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP3) vaccine was just 62 per cent in 2023, far below the global average of 84 per cent. Findings from the 2023–2024 Demographic and Health Survey showed that 31 per cent of children aged 12–23 months were unvaccinated, and only 39 per cent received all basic immunisations.

Global trends

In 2024, 89 per cent of infants globally — approximately 115 million — received at least one dose of the DTP vaccine, and 85 per cent (around 109 million) completed all three doses. Compared to 2023, about 171,000 more children got their first DTP shot, and one million more completed the series. Still, nearly 20 million infants missed at least one dose during the year.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus expressed concern over the stagnation and regression in some countries, warning that growing vaccine misinformation and funding shortfalls threaten recent gains.

“Vaccines save lives, allowing families, communities and nations to flourish. While it’s encouraging to see more children being reached, we still have a lot of work ahead,” Ghebreyesus said, urging countries to invest in localised, sustainable solutions.

Impact of conflict and fragility

The report paints a grim picture of how instability affects immunisation. Of 195 countries assessed, only 17 of the 64 nations that had less than 90 per cent DTP1 coverage in 2019 improved in the last five years. In contrast, 47 countries have stalled or regressed — including 22 that once surpassed 90 per cent.

A quarter of the world’s infants live in just 26 conflict-affected countries, but these account for half of all zero-dose children. In such settings, the number of unvaccinated children rose from 3.6 million in 2019 to 5.4 million in 2024.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell called the findings “alarming,” noting that fragile health systems, funding cuts, and widespread disinformation are preventing millions of children from receiving life-saving vaccines.

“No child should die from a disease we know how to prevent,” she said.

Mixed progress across income levels

Lower-income countries supported by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, reduced the number of under-vaccinated children by about 650,000. However, some higher-income countries saw declines in vaccine coverage. The report warns that even small drops in immunisation rates can increase the risk of outbreaks and overburden health systems.

Sania Nishtar, Gavi’s CEO, acknowledged the progress in low-income nations but warned that population growth and instability continue to threaten immunisation gains. She stressed that sustained investment is essential to protect every child.

Rising measles threat

While measles vaccination coverage has improved slightly, it remains insufficient to prevent outbreaks. In 2024, 84 per cent of children received the first measles vaccine dose, and 76 per cent got the second — leaving over 30 million children under-protected.

As a result, the number of countries reporting significant measles outbreaks jumped to 60 in 2024, nearly twice the number in 2022.

Urgent call to action

WHO and UNICEF are urging governments and global partners to close the funding gap for Gavi’s 2026–2030 strategy, which aims to immunise millions more children and strengthen global health security.

Key recommendations include:

• Increased investment in conflict-affected regions

• Embedding immunisation in primary healthcare systems

• Strengthening disease surveillance

• Combating misinformation with evidence-based communication

• Supporting locally led strategies to reach zero-dose children

The agencies warned that without decisive action, the world risks reversing decades of hard-won progress in preventing childhood illness and death.