Only 2 states still allow broad non-medical vaccine exemptions as of 2023, yet 5.1% of U.S. children aged 19 to 35 months were completely unvaccinated for all vaccines from 2019 to 2022. Even when policy and eligibility are tightening, barriers still show up, including difficulty accessing services reported by 24.0% of caregivers. Let’s look at what these patterns say about vaccine coverage, confidence, and missed opportunities across schools, families, and outbreaks.
Key Takeaways
- 5.1% of U.S. children aged 19–35 months were completely unvaccinated for all vaccines in 2019–2022
- 1.3% of children in the U.S. were estimated to have received zero doses of polio vaccine by age 2 in 2019 (model-based estimate)
- 24.0% of surveyed caregivers of unvaccinated children reported difficulty accessing vaccination services as a barrier (U.S.)
- 78% of surveyed parents of unvaccinated children reported that they had received at least one message from social media about vaccines (U.S.)
- 35% of parents of unvaccinated children in a U.K. study reported they believed vaccines were not necessary for their child
- In 2022, 52% of school districts in the U.S. reported that fewer than 75% of students were fully vaccinated according to state requirements (district-level survey)
- As of 2023, only 2 states still allowed broad non-medical exemptions (policy tracker count)
- In the U.S., 87% of kindergartners attended schools with vaccination rates above 90% for at least one required vaccine (analysis of school-level data)
- In 2019, the estimated total societal cost of measles outbreaks in the U.S. attributable to under-vaccination was $1.0 billion (2017 dollars, model estimate)
- In the U.S., a 2016 estimate placed the annual cost burden of undervaccination at $8.0 billion across vaccine-preventable diseases (model estimate)
- In 2020, missed vaccination due to COVID-19 was estimated to cause an additional 6.6 million deaths worldwide over 2021–2030 (model estimate)
- A 2022 systematic review reported that vaccine hesitancy is associated with increased risks of vaccine-preventable outbreaks across multiple settings (review across 19 studies)
- A 2013 meta-analysis found that vaccine refusal was associated with a 2.6x higher risk of measles infection among contacts (odds ratio, meta-analytic estimate)
- Measles has a basic reproduction number (R0) of 12–18, contributing to rapid spread when vaccination coverage is low
- In 2022, WHO estimated that 1.5 million deaths could be prevented annually by reaching zero-dose children with routine vaccination
Only 5.1% of US toddlers were fully unvaccinated, but access and hesitancy still drive costly outbreaks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence & Coverage2 stats
01
5.1% of U.S. children aged 19–35 months were completely unvaccinated for all vaccines in 2019–2022
02
1.3% of children in the U.S. were estimated to have received zero doses of polio vaccine by age 2 in 2019 (model-based estimate)
Interpretation
Prevalence & Coverage Interpretation
Under the Prevalence and Coverage framing, the share of U.S. children who are completely unvaccinated remains relatively low but meaningful, with 5.1% of children aged 19 to 35 months in 2019 to 2022 receiving no vaccines at all and 1.3% estimated to have had zero polio doses by age 2 in 2019.
02 · Category
Drivers & Intent7 stats
01
24.0% of surveyed caregivers of unvaccinated children reported difficulty accessing vaccination services as a barrier (U.S.)
02
78% of surveyed parents of unvaccinated children reported that they had received at least one message from social media about vaccines (U.S.)
03
35% of parents of unvaccinated children in a U.K. study reported they believed vaccines were not necessary for their child
04
A 2021 study found that 28% of vaccine-hesitant parents reported they would vaccinate if they received clinician recommendations tailored to their concerns (survey statistic)
05
A 2022 meta-analysis found that provider recommendation increases vaccination uptake by about 2.7 times among hesitant populations (pooled effect estimate)
06
In a U.S. survey of vaccine-hesitant caregivers, 56% reported “concern about side effects” as a main reason for hesitancy (survey statistic)
07
In a 2014 U.S. study, 47% of parents of undervaccinated children reported “lack of doctor recommendation” as a reason (survey statistic)
Interpretation
Drivers & Intent Interpretation
For the Drivers & Intent angle, the data show that the largest gaps in unvaccinated children’s decision-making are shaped by access and persuasion, with 24.0% of U.S. caregivers citing difficulty accessing services and 56% of U.S. vaccine hesitant caregivers pointing to side effects, while even when social media messages are common (78%), provider input appears pivotal with a pooled estimate that recommendations boost uptake about 2.7 times.
03 · Category
Policy & Systems6 stats
01
In 2022, 52% of school districts in the U.S. reported that fewer than 75% of students were fully vaccinated according to state requirements (district-level survey)
02
As of 2023, only 2 states still allowed broad non-medical exemptions (policy tracker count)
03
In the U.S., 87% of kindergartners attended schools with vaccination rates above 90% for at least one required vaccine (analysis of school-level data)
04
In a 2016 U.S. study, 34% of parents of under-immunized children reported missed opportunities in primary care as contributing factors (survey statistic)
05
In 2019, 89% of U.S. children had a medical home (which affects preventive service delivery), per National Survey of Children’s Health (NSCH)
06
In 2022, 69% of U.S. children had a preventive care visit within the past year (NSCH measure)
Interpretation
Policy & Systems Interpretation
From a Policy and Systems angle, the fact that 52% of US school districts in 2022 reported less than 75% of students fully vaccinated alongside the drop to only 2 states still permitting broad non medical exemptions suggests that policy tightening is helping, even though many children may still miss prevention since only 69% had a preventive care visit in the past year in 2022.
More related reading
04 · Category
Economic Impact6 stats
01
In 2019, the estimated total societal cost of measles outbreaks in the U.S. attributable to under-vaccination was $1.0 billion (2017 dollars, model estimate)
02
In the U.S., a 2016 estimate placed the annual cost burden of undervaccination at $8.0 billion across vaccine-preventable diseases (model estimate)
03
In 2020, missed vaccination due to COVID-19 was estimated to cause an additional 6.6 million deaths worldwide over 2021–2030 (model estimate)
04
A 2017 economic analysis estimated that eliminating non-medical vaccine exemptions in the U.S. would prevent 732,000 cases of vaccine-preventable illness and save $13.2 billion over 10 years (model estimate)
05
A 2016 study estimated the economic burden of measles in the U.S. from 2014–2015 at $22.6 million (direct medical costs estimate)
06
A 2019 study estimated that outbreaks due to undervaccination increase absenteeism by 3.2 days per affected child on average (U.S.-based estimate)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
The economic impact of undervaccination is substantial and likely growing, with U.S. estimates ranging from $1.0 billion in measles-related societal costs in 2019 and $8.0 billion in annual undervaccination burden in 2016 to $13.2 billion in savings over 10 years from ending non-medical exemptions.
05 · Category
Health Outcomes7 stats
01
A 2022 systematic review reported that vaccine hesitancy is associated with increased risks of vaccine-preventable outbreaks across multiple settings (review across 19 studies)
02
A 2013 meta-analysis found that vaccine refusal was associated with a 2.6x higher risk of measles infection among contacts (odds ratio, meta-analytic estimate)
03
Measles has a basic reproduction number (R0) of 12–18, contributing to rapid spread when vaccination coverage is low
04
A 2021 study estimated that a 10 percentage point increase in MMR coverage would reduce measles incidence by about 50% in high-risk communities (model estimate)
05
In 2022, WHO estimated measles caused 136,200 deaths globally (before/without coverage impact context, WHO fact sheet figure)
06
In 2018, U.S. had 372 reported measles cases and 28 outbreaks (CDC MMWR summary figure)
07
A 2020 modeling study estimated that achieving 95% measles coverage could avert 23 million deaths globally between 2021 and 2030 (model estimate)
Interpretation
Health Outcomes Interpretation
From a Health Outcomes perspective, unvaccinated children and vaccine hesitancy translate into sharply worse measles outcomes, including a 2.6 times higher risk of measles infection in contacts and global impact as WHO estimated 136,200 deaths in 2022, while raising MMR coverage by 10 percentage points could cut incidence by about 50% in high risk communities and reaching 95% coverage could avert 23 million deaths worldwide between 2021 and 2030.
06 · Category
Global Burden1 stats
01
In 2022, WHO estimated that 1.5 million deaths could be prevented annually by reaching zero-dose children with routine vaccination
Interpretation
Global Burden Interpretation
In 2022, WHO estimated that reaching zero-dose children through routine vaccination could prevent about 1.5 million deaths each year, underscoring the major global burden that could be reduced by focusing on unvaccinated children.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Megan Gallagher. (2026, February 13). Unvaccinated Children Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/unvaccinated-children-statistics
MLA
Megan Gallagher. "Unvaccinated Children Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/unvaccinated-children-statistics.
Chicago
Megan Gallagher. 2026. "Unvaccinated Children Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/unvaccinated-children-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+17 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)