97% of Bangladeshi toddlers are fully immunized against DPT, up from 2% in 1985

In 1985, just 2% of Bangladeshi children aged 12–23 months had received the full DPT course against diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough) and tetanus. By 1990 the figure was 69%, and by 2004 it reached 99%. In 2024 it stood at 97%.

2% → 97%

Share of children aged 12–23 months immunized with DPT, 1985 to 2024.

Coverage has been remarkably steady for a decade: 98% every year from 2015 to 2019, then 97% from 2020 to 2024 — a one-point dip that coincides with the COVID-19 years and has not yet reversed.

The data describe national averages. A national average near 100% can hide pockets of under-vaccinated children, and a gap of a few percentage points still means many children each year. For policy, the task is less about raising the headline number than finding the children still missed and keeping coverage steady through shocks.

These are WHO estimates of coverage, so small year-to-year differences should be read with care.

Source: World Health Organization (WHO), via World Bank WDI (SH.IMM.IDPT).