As the global community marks World Immunisation Week 2026, new data reveals a sobering reality for Nigeria: the nation currently houses an estimated 2.1 million zero-dose children infants who have never received a single routine vaccination.
This figure places Nigeria among the countries with the highest burden of unvaccinated children globally, second only to a handful of other nations. Beyond those who have never been reached, an additional 2.3 million children are considered under-immunised, having started but failed to complete their essential vaccination schedules.
A Crisis of Child Survival
The stakes of these gaps in coverage are life and death. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) analysis, at least 41% of under-five deaths in Nigeria are vaccine-preventable. Experts estimate that unvaccinated children account for roughly 337,000 deaths annually, primarily driven by diseases such as pneumonia, diarrhoea, and meningitis.
Currently, only one-third of Nigerian children aged 12–23 months are fully immunised. This leaves millions vulnerable to outbreaks that strain the national healthcare system and stall economic progress.
Barriers to Immunity
While vaccines are recognized as one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, several systemic hurdles prevent them from reaching Nigeria’s most vulnerable. Health advocates point to weak data systems, vaccine misinformation, and harmful social norms as primary obstacles.
Furthermore, children in underserved urban and peri-urban areas often face overlapping deprivations, where a lack of vaccines is compounded by malnutrition, poverty, and poor access to clean water.
“Vaccines have protected families for generations, yet millions of Nigerian children are still missing out on this basic right,” said Duncan Harvey, Country Director for Save the Children Nigeria. “Reaching zero-dose and under-immunised children requires strong health systems, trusted community engagement, and sustained investment. Every child, regardless of where they live, deserves access to life-saving vaccines.”
The BOOST Initiative: Targeting Hotspots
In response to the crisis, Save the Children Nigeria is spearheading the Better Opportunities for Optimal Services and Targeted Immunisation (BOOST) Project. This four-year initiative (2024–2027), funded by GSK, specifically targets high-burden areas in Lagos and Kano States.
The project works alongside government partners to identify missed children and test new strategies for increasing vaccine uptake. For many families, the intervention is already providing a lifeline.
Mama Ismail, a participant in the BOOST project in Lagos, shared her relief: “I am very happy for vaccinating my child and I am appealing to every mother in my community to take their children for vaccination because the injection is very important for the good health of their children.”
A Call for Systemic Reform
To commemorate the theme “For every generation, vaccines work,” stakeholders are urging the Nigerian government to move beyond awareness and into structural reform. The recommendations for 2026 include:
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Strengthening routine systems to reach underserved “zero-dose” settlements.
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Investing in digital data to track “defaulters” who miss follow-up appointments.
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Supporting frontline health workers with better resources and training.
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Increasing domestic financing for primary healthcare to ensure sustainability.
With nearly 20 million lives saved through measles vaccinations across Africa since 2000, the precedent for success exists. However, for Nigeria to secure the health of its next generation, the gap between the reached and the unreached must be closed immediately.
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