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Immunization and vaccination statistics 2025

Immunization prevents up to 5 million deaths each year. Still, some doubt vaccine safety. These vaccination stats show that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Leandra Beabout
By | Updated on Apr. 10, 2025 Medically reviewed by Marissa Walsh, Pharm.D., BCPS-AQ ID & Karen Berger, Pharm.D.
Map of America with charts and graphs: Vaccination and immunization statistics
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Vaccines prevent serious, life-threatening diseases by training your body to fight viruses or bacteria before coming into contact with them. An anti-vaccination movement has grown in recent years due to misinformation that vaccines cause autism and other conditions, but research still shows that vaccines are safe and effective. Let’s look at some vaccine statistics and facts to understand better what they are and why they’re essential.  

What are vaccinations?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), vaccinations are “a simple, safe, and effective way of protecting you against harmful diseases before you come into contact with them.” 

Each vaccine is a biological preparation that stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies, which help kill diseases. A vaccine often contains part of the disease it’s trying to prevent. It may have weakened or killed forms of a microbe, one of its toxins, or even one of its surface proteins. Putting an inactive part of the disease into the body teaches the immune system to recognize and kill it upon future exposure.

Types of vaccines

There are six different types of vaccines, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS): 

  • Inactivated vaccines contain the germ’s “killed form” that causes the disease they’re trying to prevent. They don’t provide immune protection that’s as strong as attenuated vaccines, so several doses (called boosters) may be required over a person’s lifetime.  
  • Live-attenuated vaccines contain a weakened, or attenuated, form of the germ-causing disease. They provide a long-lasting immune response but aren’t the best choice for people with compromised immune systems. 
  • Toxoid vaccines contain toxins made by the virus or bacteria that cause the disease. They create immunity to the specific parts of the germ that cause disease, not the disease itself. 
  • Conjugate, subunit, recombinant, and polysaccharide vaccines contain only particular parts of the germ, like a protein or a sugar, that cause disease. Conjugate vaccines are safe even for people with compromised immune systems.  
  • Viral vector vaccines contain a modified version of a different virus (such as influenza or measles) to deliver protection against the virus or bacteria to target cells.
  • Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines do not contain the disease they’re trying to protect. Rather, they contain messengers that teach cells how to launch an immune response against a specific virus or bacteria. 

Vaccinations vs. immunizations

Vaccines sometimes get confused with immunizations. According to the National Library of Medicine’s MedlinePlus, vaccination refers to the process of getting a vaccine, while immunization is the protection that happens in the body after receiving a vaccine. It’s the process of the body becoming immune to the disease targeted by the vaccination. For example, a rotavirus vaccine would give someone immunity to rotavirus infection.   

Vaccination statistics

  • Currently, there are vaccines to prevent more than 20 life-threatening diseases. (World Health Organization, 2025)
  • Immunization currently prevents 3.5 million to 5 million deaths yearly from diseases like diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, influenza, and measles. (WHO, 2025)
  • Flu vaccinations reduce the risk of flu illness by 40%–60%. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024)
  • Emergency department/hospitalization related to COVID-19 is 96% lower in fully vaccinated patients compared to unvaccinated patients. (The Lancet, 2021)

Vaccination statistics by age  

  • In 2023, 14.5 million children worldwide had not received a single vaccination. (WHO, 2024)
  • An estimated 92.7% of kindergarten students in the United States have received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2024)
  • In the United States, kindergarten coverage with state-required vaccinations has declined from 95% coverage in the 2019–20 school year to about 93% in the 2022–23. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2024)
  • In the United States, 55.4% of children have received flu vaccinations compared to 44.9% of adults. (CDC, 2024)

The CDC regularly updates its recommended vaccination schedule for children and adolescents, including new vaccines as they come out. The vaccination schedule explains what vaccines children should get based on their age group, making it easier for parents to schedule vaccination appointments for their children. The CDC also has a recommended vaccine schedule for adults.

RELATED: Vaccinations to consider once you turn 50

Vaccination statistics by disease

  • COVID-19: About 67% of the world population has received a complete primary series of a COVID-19 vaccine, and 32% has received at least one COVID-19 booster shot. (WHO COVID-19 dashboard, 2023)
  • Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): As of March 2025, about 37.5% of U.S. adults ages 60–74 reported receiving an RSV vaccine. That percentage increased to about 47% for adults ages 75 and older. (CDC’s RSVVaxView, 2025)
  • Flu: 55.4% of children 6 months and older and 45% of adults received the flu vaccine during the 2023-24 flu season. (CDC, 2025)
  • Pneumococcal: In 2018, 69% of adults older than 65 reported ever receiving a pneumococcal vaccination. (Statista, 2025)
  • Human papillomavirus (HPV): In 2022, nearly 59% of adolescents ages 13–15 had received the HPV vaccination series to help protect them from cancers related to this viral infection. (National Cancer Institute, 2024)
  • Chickenpox: 90.3% of children in the United States have received the recommended chickenpox (varicella) vaccine by age 24 months. (CDC, 2024)
  • Polio: 92.5% of children in the United States have received a polio vaccine series by age 24 months. (CDC, 2024)

If you’re thinking about traveling outside of the United States, you may want to consider seeing a healthcare professional to get vaccinated. The four most recommended travel immunizations are COVID-19, yellow fever, measles, hepatitis A, and typhoid vaccines, although recommendations vary by destination.

RELATED: Everything you need to know about the meningitis B vaccine

Vaccination side effects

Vaccinations can improve a person’s overall health and quality of life by preventing disease. Vaccines work well, but they aren’t perfect and can sometimes cause side effects. The most common side effects of vaccines include soreness at the injection site and low-grade fevers, according to the HHS. 

Vaccination side effects statistics: 

  • Allergic reactions occur in 1 in 50,000 to 1in 1,000,000 vaccine doses. (Biomedicines, 2023)
  • For commonly administered vaccines, the rate of anaphylaxis, a serious side effect, is one per 100,000 to one per 1,000,000 doses.  (Biomedicines, 2023)
  • About 65% of people reported adverse reactions after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, but more than 95% of the side effects were not severe. (Journal of Taibah University Medical Sciences, 2023)
  • The most common side effect of COVID-19 and RSV vaccines is pain and/or swelling at the injection site. (Mayo Clinic, 2024)

“Many vaccines can cause local temporary reactions such as redness, pain, rash, fever, and swelling,” says Leah Durant, a vaccine attorney and principal of the Law Offices of Leah V. Durant, PLLC. Since vaccine reactions can be very severe, Durant stresses the importance of seeking immediate medical care for symptoms of a severe reaction, such as weakness, tingling, numbness, nerve pain, seizures, brain damage, hearing loss, fainting, excruciating pain at the injection site, or loss in a range of motion in an arm. “In many cases, early diagnosis and treatment can help minimize the severity of a serious vaccine injury.”

That said, Durant says serious and long-lasting vaccine reactions are rare. “It is estimated that approximately one to two individuals out of 1 million suffer serious and enduring injuries as a result of vaccines.” 

Anti-vaccination statistics

In 1998, a British healthcare provider published falsified information linking a relationship between the MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, and rubella) and a subsequent diagnosis of autism. Although the findings have since been determined to be fraudulent, and the publication was retracted, it changed the public’s opinion of vaccinations. It led many to believe that vaccines cause autism. Vaccination rates dropped, and the belief that vaccines are linked to autism or health problems is still something that many believe.

  • About 10% of Americans say the risks of childhood vaccines for MMR outweigh the benefits. (Pew Research Center, 2023)
  • About 36% of Americans say the risks of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the benefits. (Pew Research Center, 2023)
  • Only 70% of Americans say healthy children should be required to be vaccinated before attending public school. (Pew Research Center, 2023)
  • In the United States, the number of vaccinated kindergarteners has dropped from 95% to 93% since 2020. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2024)

In 2019, the WHO listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 global and public health threats. Many organizations work to address vaccination concerns and educate people about their importance.

Herd immunization statistics

Herd immunity became a buzzword amid the coronavirus pandemic. When a high percentage of the population is immune to an infectious disease, whether from active infection or vaccination, the community (or herd) is better protected. Active infection of these vaccine-preventable diseases is generally associated with worse outcomes than the vaccination itself, so vaccination to obtain herd immunity is preferred.

When people are not vaccinated, immunization rates drop. And when immunization rates drop, the risk of an outbreak increases. In 2024, a press release from the CDC reported a 20% increase in 2023 measles cases worldwide compared to the previous year. The cause was listed as inadequate immunization or poor vaccination adherence. As of April 4, 2025, there have been 607 reported cases of measles. 

Each infectious disease requires a certain level of population immunity, preferably by vaccination coverage when available, to create herd immunity. Here are some examples of herd immunity thresholds:

  • Measles: 95%
  • Polio: 80%

Yale Medicine, 2021

* SARS and COVID-19 are caused by different coronaviruses. Learn more here.

The cost of vaccinations 

  • The United States spends almost $27 billion each year treating vaccine-preventable diseases in adults 50 and older. (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, 2024) 
  • Vaccinations for children will save approximately $295 billion in costs, including hospitalizations and medical care, over 20 years. (CDC, 2014)  
  • Complete childhood vaccination costs about $18 per child in low-income countries. (UNICEF, 2024) 
  • A vaccine costs much less than the expenses associated with treating the sickness. (UNICEF, 2024)
  • For every $1 invested in unvaccinated children in low and middle-income countries, there’s an estimated return on investment of about $20. (UNICEF, 2024) 

RELATED: What vaccines can I get discounts on?

Vaccination questions and answers

What percentage of people get the flu without vaccination?

According to the CDC, flu vaccinations reduce the risk of getting the flu by 40% and the risk of flu-related hospitalization by 60%. 

How does vaccination protect from infectious disease?

Vaccination protects from infectious disease by helping the immune system recognize and fight against viruses and bacteria that cause the disease itself. Vaccinations also help prevent national and global infectious disease outbreaks by increasing the chance of herd immunity. 

How many people die from vaccinations?

It’s difficult to know precisely how many people have died directly due to vaccinations. Some studies report death rates for vaccines like smallpox to be around one death for every one million vaccinated. A 2022 report cited 55 people had died after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, but another cause of death was found in 17 of those cases—and a causal link between the vaccine and the death was found to be “very probable” or “demonstrated” in only 14 of the cases. 

Is there statistical evidence that vaccines decrease infection?

There’s a lot of statistical evidence showing how vaccines decrease infection. The WHO, CDC, and UNICEF continuously publish information regarding the effectiveness of vaccines.  

What is the mortality rate of people who have not been vaccinated?

Of nearly 1.5 million deaths worldwide in those 5–19 years of age, about 37% are attributable to infectious diseases, many of which were preventable by vaccination, according to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Is vaccination safe for children?

Childhood vaccines are very safe for children and can protect them from diseases and long-lasting complications of those diseases.

Do vaccinations cause autism in children?

“The link between autism and vaccines has been studied at length and found to be non-existent,” says Leann Poston, MD, Assistant Dean at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine and contributor for Ikon Health. “The prime age for speech development and the peak of vaccines on the vaccination schedule both occur at 12–15 months. The cause of autism seems to be multifactorial, meaning there are both genetic and environmental factors that may affect risk. For this reason, people have been looking for associations between environmental triggers and autism.”