Overview
- Global first-dose measles coverage reached 84% in 2024, still short of the pre‑Covid benchmark of 86%, while second-dose coverage rose to 76%.
- An estimated 20.6 million children missed their first measles shot in 2024, with more than half of those children in Africa.
- Fifty-nine countries experienced major or disruptive outbreaks last year, the highest tally since 2003 according to the WHO.
- The WHO estimates about 11 million infections and 95,000 deaths in 2024, with most deaths in children under five and 80% occurring in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean.
- Outbreaks have persisted in 2025 across the Americas, with Canada losing measles-free status and experts warning the United States could follow during its worst outbreak in over 30 years.