Pakistan has emerged as the second-largest country in South Asia with the highest number of unvaccinated children, trailing only behind India, according to a new study published in the British medical journal The Lancet.
The report highlights that approximately 419,000 children in Pakistan have received no vaccinations, placing the country among the most vulnerable in terms of immunization coverage. Alongside Afghanistan, Pakistan remains one of the last two nations where polio is still endemic, despite global eradication efforts.
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The study, conducted by the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, warns that childhood vaccination rates have stagnated over the past two decades, with significant disparities in coverage worldwide. While the World Health Organization (WHO) set ambitious targets under the Immunisation Agenda 2030 (IA2030) to enhance global vaccine access, progress has been hindered—particularly due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving millions of children at risk of preventable diseases and fatalities.
Titled “Global, regional, and national trends in routine childhood vaccination coverage from 1980 to 2023 with forecasts to 2030,” the study underscores that current trends serve as a “clear warning” that IA2030 goals—including halving the number of ‘zero-dose’ children and achieving 90% global vaccine coverage—will not be met without urgent and transformative improvements.
The findings call for immediate action to strengthen immunization programs and ensure equitable vaccine distribution to protect children from life-threatening diseases.
