Over 14 Million Children Unvaccinated in 2024, UN Warns
Over 14 Million Children Unvaccinated in 2024, UN Warns
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More than 14 million children worldwide remained completely unvaccinated in 2024, DW revealed based on a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF released on Tuesday. The report highlights that childhood vaccination rates in Europe and Central Asia either stagnated or declined by 1%, raising concerns about growing gaps in immunization coverage.
Widespread misinformation and significant cuts to international aid are contributing to these coverage gaps, putting millions of children at increased risk of preventable diseases. In Europe, cases of whooping cough surged threefold to nearly 300,000, while measles infections doubled to over 125,000 amid falling vaccination rates.
Nine countries — Nigeria, India, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Angola — account for more than half of the world’s unvaccinated children. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating, “Millions of children remain without protection against preventable diseases. That should worry us all.”
The report also notes a resurgence of measles in the United States, which is experiencing its worst year for the disease in 25 years, with 1,288 cases reported so far in 2025. Globally, vaccines are estimated to prevent between 3.5 million and 5 million deaths annually.
