New Delhi: An estimated 13.5 million children worldwide did not receive a single routine vaccine during their first year of life in 2025, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF estimates.
The annual WHO-UNICEF report identified these children as “zero-dose” infants—those who failed to receive even the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) vaccine. India accounted for an estimated 679,000 zero-dose children during the year.
According to the report, global immunisation coverage improved slightly in 2025, with 90% of infants receiving at least one dose of the DTP vaccine and 85% completing the recommended three-dose schedule. However, health agencies warned that progress remains too slow to meet the Immunization Agenda 2030 target of halving the number of zero-dose children compared with 2019 levels.
The report said millions of children continue to miss life-saving vaccines because of conflict, humanitarian crises, fragile health systems, poverty and vaccine hesitancy. More than half of all zero-dose children are concentrated in countries affected by conflict and instability, making routine immunisation particularly difficult.
UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell cautioned that while gains have been made, they remain fragile and could be reversed without sustained investment in immunisation programmes.
The agencies urged governments and international partners to strengthen routine immunisation services, particularly in underserved and conflict-affected communities, to ensure that every child has access to life-saving vaccines.
