Disparities in Global Vaccination Progress Are Large and Growing, With Low-Income Countries and Those in Africa Lagging Behind

A new KFF analysis finds that only 1% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose of vaccine compared to 51% in high-income countries, underscoring the significant inequalities in vaccines around the world. The analysis examines these inequalities by income level in the country and by region and finds large differences.

By region, Africa has the lowest coverage (2%) while Europe has the highest (40%), followed by the Americas (39%) and the Western Pacific (37%).

At the current rate of vaccination, low-income countries are unlikely to meet global vaccination targets of 40% and 60% by the end of 2021 and 60% set by the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. by mid-2022. Low-income countries would need to increase their daily vaccination rate nearly 19-fold to reach 40% vaccination coverage by the end of 2021. And while the Western Pacific, Europe, America and Southeast Asia are ahead of schedule to meet these vaccination goals, Africa would need to increase its first-dose rate eight-fold to reach 40% by the end of 2021.

The new analysis delves deeper into the growing justice gap and what this trend means for the future of global COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Learn more about US involvement in improving global equity related to COVID-19 vaccines, z Policy options and actions so far.