Monday, 15 Sep, 2025
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The government stressed that India’s accomplishments are particularly noteworthy given its vast population.
India has recorded a significant decline in the number of zero-dose children, those who have not received a single vaccine, from 0.11 percent in 2023 to 0.06 percent in 2024, according to data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The ministry credited this progress to sustained nationwide vaccination campaigns and the intensified push under various immunisation drives.
This achievement has drawn international acclaim, with India being acknowledged as a global leader in child health by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) in its latest 2024 report. Further underscoring the country's strides in public health, India was honoured with the prestigious Measles and Rubella Champion Award by the Measles and Rubella Partnership, a coalition comprising the American Red Cross, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, GAVI, US CDC, United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, and WHO. The award was presented on March 6, 2024, at the American Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, DC, in recognition of India’s unwavering commitment to eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases through robust immunisation efforts.
Also, India has achieved a notable reduction in its Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), which has dropped from 130 per lakh live births during 2014-16 to 88 per lakh live births in the 2020-22 period, according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) data. The United Nations Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (UN-MMEIG) further places India’s MMR at 80 per lakh live births, marking an impressive 86 percent decline since 1990, well above the global average reduction of 48 percent.
In the realm of child health, India has also demonstrated remarkable progress. The 2024 report by the UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) notes a 78 percent drop in the Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) and a 70 percent decline in the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) between 1990 and 2023. Both figures surpass global reductions of 61 percent and 54 percent, respectively.
These improvements are closely tied to India's enhanced focus on immunisation. The Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP), one of the world’s largest public health initiatives, has undergone a major transformation in the past decade. While it included only six vaccines until 2013, the programme has expanded significantly since 2014 with the introduction of six additional vaccines: Inactivated Polio-virus Vaccine, Rotavirus Vaccine (RVV), Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV), Measles-Rubella Vaccine, Adult Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine, and Tetanus-Diphtheria Vaccine. Currently, the UIP provides protection against 12 vaccine-preventable diseases, aligning with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations and reinforcing India’s commitment to maternal and child health.
India has rolled out the Zero Dose Implementation Plan 2024 across 143 districts in 11 states, aiming to close immunisation gaps in hard-to-reach areas such as urban slums, migratory communities, and regions facing persistent vaccine hesitancy. The initiative complements India's continued success in public health, including maintaining its polio-free status since 2014 through consistent Pulse Polio campaigns and the organisation of Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) to support community-level immunisation.
To strengthen vaccine delivery and coverage, the country is also harnessing digital tools like the U-WIN platform to monitor immunisation records and reduce dropout rates. In parallel, awareness campaigns, spanning digital outreach, social media, and traditional methods like street plays are being deployed to tackle vaccine hesitancy and promote participation.
According to the WHO-UNICEF Estimates of National Immunization Coverage (WUENIC) 2023 report, India is surpassing global averages across all vaccine indicators. Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis (DTP)-1 (Pentavalent-1) coverage has reached 93 percent, well above Nigeria’s 70 percent, and the dropout rate between DTP-1 and DTP-3 has fallen significantly—from 7 percent in 2013 to just 2 percent in 2023. Measles vaccination coverage has also improved markedly, rising from 83 percent to 93 percent during the same timeframe.
The government stressed that India’s accomplishments are particularly noteworthy given its vast population. While countries such as Yemen (1.68 percent), Sudan (1.45 percent), and Nigeria (0.98 percent) continue to report high percentages of zero-dose children, India’s remarkably low figure of 0.06 percent, despite its large birth cohort, highlights the depth and reach of its immunisation drive.
Antigen wise comparison between India and Global coverage (%)
Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The chart highlights that India’s immunisation coverage across all antigens exceeds global averages, with particularly strong performance in DTP1 and DTP3 coverage when compared to other countries with high numbers of zero-dose children (refer to Annexure 2). As per the WUENIC 2023 report, India, despite its vast population and complex socio-geographical landscape, achieved a DTP-1 (Pentavalent-1) coverage rate of 93 percent, meaning 2.47 crore out of 2.65 crore eligible infants received the vaccine during the reference period. This is significantly higher than Nigeria’s coverage rate of 70 percent. Additionally, the dropout rate between the first and third doses of the DTP vaccine has seen a sharp decline, falling from 7 percent in 2013 to just 2 percent in 2023. Measles vaccination coverage also improved notably, rising from 83 percent to 93 percent over the same period.
India has undertaken several key initiatives to strengthen its immunisation efforts and ensure vaccine equity. The Zero Dose Implementation Plan 2024 is currently being implemented in 143 districts across 11 states with a high burden of unvaccinated children. Mission Indradhanush, launched in 2014 and intensified in 2017 in collaboration with state governments, has successfully vaccinated 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women who were previously missed or under-vaccinated. The country has also sustained its polio-free status since 2014 through Pulse Polio Campaigns, conducted via National and Sub-National Immunization Days. Regular Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) serve as vital platforms for community-level immunisation and health outreach. To ensure effective implementation, a structured network of multi-tiered task forces, State (STFI), District (DTFI), and Block (BTFI), has been established. These efforts are further supported by ongoing Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns aimed at raising public awareness and reducing vaccine hesitancy.
