The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has revealed that Nigeria currently has the highest number of unvaccinated children in the world.
Bashir Elegbede, a health officer at UNICEF, disclosed the figures during a media dialogue in Damaturu, Yobe State, as part of activities to mark the 2025 World Immunisation Week.
Elegbede said an estimated 2.1 million Nigerian children, representing 24 percent of the country’s under-one population of 8.7 million, have not received a single dose of routine vaccination. These children, referred to as “zero-dose” children, have missed all immunisations scheduled under the national routine immunisation programme.
According to him, the global goal is to reduce the number of zero-dose children by 25 percent by 2025 and by half by 2030. He described the situation in Nigeria as alarming, saying the prevalence of zero-dose children threatens public health and undermines efforts to control vaccine-preventable diseases.
Elegbede identified areas affected by conflict, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and hard-to-reach rural communities as the primary locations of these zero-dose children. Urban slums and regions with underperforming health systems also contribute significantly to the national figures.
He warned that children without vaccinations are more susceptible to illnesses such as polio, measles, meningitis, yellow fever, and viral hepatitis, stressing that vaccines are essential to reducing child mortality and ensuring healthy development. He added that despite global progress, Nigeria remains the most affected country, with Borno and Yobe states among the hardest hit.
UNICEF, he said, continues to support Nigeria’s government in improving routine immunisation and strengthening the country’s health infrastructure. In 2024 alone, the agency helped vaccinate approximately 20,000 zero-dose children in Yobe State with the pentavalent vaccine, which protects against five life-threatening diseases.
In Borno State, 145,000 unvaccinated children were reached, and a broader campaign known as the Big Catch-Up targeted another 165,000 children across the North-East in March and April 2025. Of that target, 138,000 children—representing 95 percent—were successfully vaccinated.
The Emir of Damaturu, Shehu Hashimi II Ibn Umar Al-Amin El-Kanemi, through his representative Maisanda Lawan, praised UNICEF’s intervention and reaffirmed the traditional institution’s commitment to ensuring vaccine accessibility in all communities across Yobe.
World Immunisation Week, observed globally from April 24 to 30, is aimed at promoting awareness and access to vaccines. This year’s theme, “Immunisation for all is humanly possible,” underscores the World Health Organisation’s call for greater investment and collaboration to ensure equitable vaccine coverage for every child.
