A new study reveals a worrying decline in childhood vaccination rates across much of the EU since 2019, heightening the risk of outbreaks of preventable diseases amid growing immunity gaps.
Childhood vaccination rates have weakened across much of the European Union in a trend experts say could leave children and other vulnerable people exposed to preventable disease, according to a study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe.
Researchers led by Luigi Russo at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Rome examined World Health Organisation and Unicef data covering 1980 to 2024 for seven routine childhood immunisations. The analysis found that while coverage improved for decades, many EU countries have recently moved into stagnation or decline, with the sharpest slide often beginning between 2019 and 2022, around the Covid-19 pandemic and its aftermath.
The pattern is broad. The study found that 16 of the EU’s 27 member states recorded falling trends in at least four of the seven vaccines analysed. Germany and Spain were among the countries affected across five vaccines, while Croatia, Czechia, Estonia, Lithuania and Slovakia each saw declines in six. In Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, the Netherlands, Romania and Sweden, all seven vaccines showed downward trends. By contrast, Hungary, Luxembourg, Denmark and Portugal fared better overall.
The most common falls were seen in vaccines against Hib, a bacterium that can cause serious infections in infants, and polio, with 20 countries showing declines in each. Hepatitis B coverage fell in 18 countries, the DTP-3 series against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis in 17, and pneumococcal vaccination in 16. Measles coverage was more mixed, with 14 countries improving and 13 slipping, while rubella vaccination declined in 15.
The study said Luxembourg and Portugal were the only EU countries to reach at least 95% coverage across all seven indicators. Belgium, France and Latvia reached that mark in six. Germany, meanwhile, was below the 95% threshold in five of the seven measures in 2024, and Romania remained below 80% for all seven. For Hungary, the researchers could not assess two vaccines because of missing data.
That 95% level is widely treated as the point at which herd protection becomes strong enough to help stop outbreaks. UNICEF and the WHO have separately warned that childhood vaccination in Europe and Central Asia remained below pre-pandemic levels in 2024, with 123,000 children missing routine jabs and the region at greater risk of a renewed spread of measles and whooping cough.
The researchers stressed that national averages can hide local danger. Even where overall coverage looks relatively strong, pockets of low uptake in a region, community or social group can create immunity gaps. That matters most for infants, older people and those with weakened immune systems, for whom vaccine-preventable diseases can be particularly severe.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
