EuroWire, GENEVA: Lower-income countries are set to contribute a record US$302 million toward Gavi-supported vaccines in 2025, marking the highest annual total since the alliance’s co-financing system began and underscoring continued domestic spending on immunisation despite tighter global aid flows. The new figure follows nearly US$255 million contributed in 2024 and reflects a steady rise in country funding for vaccine purchases that are introduced with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, according to data released on April 16.
The 2025 total comes after lower-income countries mobilised US$1.1 billion for immunisation over the last five years, matching the amount raised over the previous 13 years combined. Gavi said cumulative country contributions since 2008 are expected to reach US$2.2 billion by the end of 2025. The data points to a sustained increase in national budget support for vaccines as governments take on a larger share of programme costs over time under the alliance’s co-financing model.
All Gavi-eligible countries met their 2025 co-financing obligations except those granted temporary waivers because of acute humanitarian emergencies, the alliance said. Among 16 countries affected by fragility and conflict, only six required waivers. That followed a similar pattern in 2024, when countries that were not covered by waivers met their obligations in full. The latest data showed immunisation financing remained in place even in countries operating under severe fiscal and humanitarian pressure.
Domestic Funding Rises As Co-Financing Expands
The co-financing system requires participating governments to pay for part of the vaccine doses they receive, with contributions rising as economies grow. In 2024, 84% of co-financing came from domestic resources, up from 79% in 2023, according to previously released Gavi data. The alliance said the structure is designed to strengthen national ownership of immunisation programmes and reduce long-term dependence on donor support, while preserving access to vaccines during the transition period for lower-income health systems.
The record 2025 contribution comes as immunisation remains central to routine public health programmes across developing economies. The World Health Organization describes vaccination as one of the safest and most cost-effective public health interventions, and says every country now runs a national immunisation programme. In 2024, WHO marked 50 years since the launch of the Expanded Programme on Immunization and said vaccines had saved 154 million lives over that period, highlighting the long-term health gains tied to sustained vaccine coverage.
Gavi Co-Financing Drives Larger Country Share
The latest country contribution data also sits alongside broader financing plans for the next phase of Gavi’s work. For the 2026 to 2030 period, low- and middle-income countries are expected to contribute about US$4 billion toward vaccination programmes introduced with Gavi support, including around US$2 billion for vaccines to be fully funded by middle-income countries. Separately, leaders meeting in Brussels in June 2025 were told implementing countries were expected to invest a record amount in immunisation over the coming five years.
The new 2025 figure gives the clearest indication yet that lower-income governments are continuing to protect vaccine budgets even as external financing becomes more constrained. By combining higher domestic allocations with the alliance’s co-financing framework, countries have pushed annual contributions to a new high while maintaining compliance across most eligible programmes. The 2025 total of US$302 million sets a new benchmark for country-funded support to Gavi-backed vaccines and reinforces the role of national budgets in sustaining immunisation coverage.