GUWAHATI: Around 2 million children in India were unvaccinated in 2023, the second highest number after Nigeria, which had 2.1 million "zero dose children," according to a report by UNICEF.
As per the WHO/UNICEF estimates of National Immunisation Coverage, nearly 2 million children in India did not receive any vaccines in 2023, with the country accounting for 11% of unvaccinated children globally.
Globally, more than half (over 50 per cent) of zero-dose children are concentrated in just seven countries: Nigeria, India, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Indonesia and Yemen.
However, it is important to note that some populous countries contribute heavily to global figures, despite high rates of immunization coverage, UNICEF reports stated.
Furthermore, India also had the third highest number of children who did not receive the measles vaccine, with 1.6 million children left unvaccinated, despite the nation achieving 93% vaccine coverage for over 22.7 million surviving infants.