A public-private partnership, Gavi Alliance, has said immunisation programmes generated more than US$30 billion in economic benefits in 2025 through lower healthcare costs and healthier, more productive populations.

In a statement on Wednesday, the organisation described the gains as the highest annual total in the alliance’s history.

Sania Nishtar, Gavi CEO, stated, “When it comes to immunisation we know that the return on investment extends far beyond health to supporting sustainable, inclusive economic growth.”

According to the alliance, the gains came from preventing illness, death and long-term disability, sparing countries healthcare and wider societal costs, and ultimately helping children achieve higher educational attainment, leading to a longer, more productive working life.

Gavi noted that in the same year, lower-income countries contributed a record US$301 million towards the cost of Gavi-supported vaccines through Gavi’s co-financing model, under which countries progressively assume a greater share of vaccine costs as their economies grow.

“This reflects a broader trajectory: over the last five years, countries have matched the total they contributed over the previous 13 years combined, and from 2026–2030 implementing countries are projected to fund nearly 50% of the costs of their vaccines,” it added.

Ms Nishtar charged governments to take incredibly difficult decisions as to how they invest their budgets, noting that when it comes to immunisation, we know that the return on investment extends far beyond health to supporting sustainable, inclusive economic growth.

“What is so heartening about this year’s figures is that not only is immunisation generating more economic return than ever but that countries are recognising this, and investing commensurately in their immunisation programmes,” she explained.

The alliance noted that its annual progress report also revealed that record public health impact was achieved in 2025, adding that Gavi-supported programmes immunised more than 73 million children and prevented more than 2.2 million future deaths.

It stated, “These are both record annual totals and bring Gavi’s fifth strategic period (2021–2025) to a strong close, with more than 351 million children immunised against a target of 300 million children.”

Gavi disclosed that from 2021–2025, vaccination helped avert more than 7.8 million future deaths, meeting its strategic target and bringing the total number of future deaths prevented since 2000 to more than 23 million.

While noting that the strategic period also saw progress in building stronger immunisation systems and expanding access to vaccines, the alliance revealed that in 2025, the gap in routine immunisation coverage between Gavi-supported countries and the rest of the world fell to its lowest level on record.

“Immunisation delivers massive gains in lives saved and diseases prevented, but also in terms of economic benefits,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Countries understand that the cost of failing to vaccinate is far too great, while the benefits extend across families, communities, economies and future generations,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.

“When children are vaccinated, they are much more likely to grow up healthy, go to school and build a future. Last year, together with Gavi, we helped reach more children than ever before with routine vaccines. UNICEF will continue to work with our partners to help ensure that every child has access to life-saving immunisation,” said Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

The alliance noted that although it has yet to meet its fundraising target for 2026–2030, it has maintained its ambition to protect 500 million more children, prevent 8–9 million future deaths, support a further 10% reduction in under-five mortality and generate more than US$100 billion in economic benefits from 2026–2030.

“Over the coming years, Gavi will also place emphasis on reaching children who continue to miss out on vaccination, particularly those living in conflict-affected and humanitarian settings.

“Central to these efforts is the Gavi Leap reform agenda, through which Gavi is aligning support more closely with national priorities, simplifying collaboration and maximising the impact of available resources, helping ensure that the benefits of immunisation continue to be felt by families, health systems and economies for years to come,” Gavi added.