- Some 13.5 million children in 2025 were classified as “zero-dose” vaccination, according to the UN.
- More than half of these “zero-dose” children reside in sub-Saharan Africa, with Nigeria accounting for the largest number globally, followed by countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen.
- While there was a slight improvement from the previous year, the current pace of reduction is too slow to meet the global goal of halving unvaccinated children by 2030.
- Key barriers to immunisation include international aid cuts, ongoing conflicts, rapid population growth in low-income nations, governance challenges, and growing vaccine misinformation.
- The UN also expressed concern over falling vaccination rates in some middle- and high-income countries, contributing to a resurgence of measles outbreaks globally.
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