Nine lakh zero-dose children in India in 2024: UN report
India recorded the second-highest number of ‘zero-dose’ children – those without access to routine immunisation – after Nigeria’s 2.1 million.
NEW DELHI: India has over nine lakh children who did not receive a single shot of any routine vaccination in 2024, according to new national immunisation coverage data released by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF on Tuesday.
India recorded the second-highest number of ‘zero-dose’ children – defined as those who lack access to, or are never reached by, routine immunisation services – after Nigeria, which recorded 2.1 million.
However, Union Health Ministry officials said India cannot be compared with Nigeria due to “its sheer population size.”
“India, due to its population size, will always come among the top ten countries,” official sources said.
There is, however, some good news. India saw a significant decline in the number of zero-dose children – from 15,92,000 in 2023 to 9,09,000 in 2024.
According to Dr Vivek Singh, Chief of Health, UNICEF, “India’s vaccine-wise immunisation coverage surpasses global averages across all vaccines. India saw the largest decline from 1,592,000 zero-dose children in 2023 to 909,000 in 2024.”
“The vast improvements in coverage reflect India’s strong national leadership and commitment to immunisation as a public health priority, and its vision where every child is protected from vaccine-preventable diseases,” he told The New Indian Express.
The UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) stated that India’s achievements in reducing illness and mortality in children make it a global exemplar in child health.
According to Union Health Ministry officials, apart from service disruptions during COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021, India has consistently maintained coverage rates above 90 per cent since 2019.
“System-strengthening efforts through intensified catch-up campaigns have helped reach the children who missed routine vaccinations. The oversight has helped reduce zero-dose children by 43 per cent from 2023 figures,” the official sources told TNIE.
The data shows that India has surpassed the global average and is doing well in providing key vaccinations.
According to the data, India achieved its highest-ever DPT1 (the first dose of the DPT – Diphtheria, Pertussis, Tetanus – vaccine) and MCV1 (Measles-Containing Vaccine first dose) coverage in 2024.
Coverage of the first DTP dose (DTP1) rose from 93 per cent in 2023 to 96 per cent in 2024.
“India’s DPT1 coverage (96 per cent) is above the global coverage (89 per cent) and has remained above the global average over the last decade. Ninety-four per cent of infants received the third dose of the DPT vaccine (DTP3), up from 91 per cent in 2023,” the data said.
Also, the first dose (MCV1) coverage rose to 97 per cent in 2024, up from 93 per cent in 2023. In 2024, 92 per cent of infants received the second dose of the measles-containing vaccine (MCV2), up by two percentage points from 2023.
India’s antigen-wise immunisation coverage surpasses global averages across all antigens. This means that a large percentage of the Indian population, particularly children, is protected against various diseases through vaccination.
The report highlighted that in 2024, 89 per cent of infants globally – about 115 million – received at least one dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP)-containing vaccine, and 85 per cent – roughly 109 million – completed all three doses.
Compared to 2023, around 1,71,000 more children received at least one vaccine, and one million more completed the full three-dose DTP series.
However, it said that nearly 20 million infants globally missed at least one dose of the DTP-containing vaccine last year, including 14.3 million “zero-dose” children who had never received a single dose of any vaccine.
“That’s 4 million more than the 2024 target needed to stay on track with Immunisation Agenda 2030 goals, and 1.4 million more than in 2019, the baseline year for measuring progress,” the report said.
