UN warns of gaps in global infant vaccination despite slight improvement

On 15 July 2026, the United Nations said global infant vaccination levels improved slightly in 2025, but warned that funding cuts, conflicts and misinformation were widening dangerous gaps in coverage and allowing outbreaks to grow.

Data published by the World Health Organization and UNICEF showed that 90 percent of infants globally, or nearly 116 million children, received at least one dose of the vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in 2025. The agencies said 85 percent completed the full three-dose DTP series.

Both indicators were one percentage point higher than in 2024 and four points higher than in 2021. But they were still one point below 2019 levels, before the Covid pandemic disrupted global vaccination programmes.

UNICEF chief Catherine Russell said millions of vulnerable children were still being left unprotected because of conflict, displacement and poverty. She said no child should suffer from a disease that a simple vaccine can prevent.

The data estimated that 13.5 million so-called zero-dose children did not receive any vaccine shot in their first year in 2025. That was 750,000 fewer than in 2024 and about one million fewer than in 2023.

The UN agencies also warned that more children, mainly in poorer countries, were starting vaccination schedules but not completing them. The data showed that about 7.3 million infants received their first DTP dose in the first months of life but did not receive their first measles dose, which is usually given between nine and 12 months.

WHO vaccines director Kate O'Brien said such dropouts could have many causes, but said that in some settings they appeared to be clearly linked to false information and misinformation about measles vaccination. She described this as a very significant concern.

Measles coverage has stalled at 84 percent of children globally receiving a first dose and 77 percent receiving a second dose. The source said that is well below the 95 percent coverage needed to prevent the spread of the highly contagious disease.

O'Brien said 57 countries reported large or disruptive measles outbreaks in 2025. She also said the world saw unprecedented numbers of outbreaks last year, including more diphtheria and cholera outbreaks as well as the spread of measles.

O'Brien said the 2025 data showed an early sign of the impact of sharp aid cuts by the United States and other countries since US President Donald Trump's return to office last year. She said the full impact of the cuts was not yet visible in the 2025 data, and that concerns were focused on programmes in 2026 and what could follow.

UNICEF immunisation chief Ephrem Lemango said funding cuts were affecting the data systems needed to track their effect. He said outbreak surveillance had been considerably affected. Only 18 national immunisation surveys were carried out and submitted for 2025, down from 50 a year earlier.

The report also said vaccine coverage against a range of diseases reached a record high in the 57 low-income countries supported by the vaccine alliance Gavi. But Gavi warned that falling funding for its operations could have severe effects later. Gavi chief country delivery officer Thabani Maphosa said the organisation believed 600,000 lives that could have been saved would be affected.