India Faces Alarming Vaccine Crisis: 1.44 Million ‘Zero-Dose’ Children in 2023, Lancet Study Warns

A newly published report in The Lancet on June 25, 2025, has raised serious concerns about the state of childhood immunisation in India. According to the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, India recorded an astonishing 1.44 million ‘zero-dose’ children in 2023 — those who have not received a single vaccine dose, leaving them vulnerable to fatal but preventable diseases.

The study paints a grim global picture as well, revealing that worldwide vaccination progress has stalled dramatically since 2010. While the period from 1980 to 2023 saw steady improvements, the recent slowdown has left millions of children at risk, especially in India and other South Asian countries.

By 2023, it’s estimated that 15.7 million children globally missed out on the essential diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP) vaccine in their first year of life — with India contributing significantly to this worrying figure.

The study also noted declining measles vaccination rates in 100 out of 204 countries between 2010 and 2019. Shockingly, 21 of 36 high-income nations also reported drops in coverage for crucial vaccines like those against diphtheria, tetanus, measles, polio, and tuberculosis.

Health experts urge immediate action to reignite global and national immunisation drives to protect the world’s most vulnerable children from avoidable diseases.