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Earlier this year, the World Health Organization and other international institutions set global COVID-19 vaccination targets with the goal of providing equitable access to vaccines and preventing the emergence of worrisome variants. These targets included a goal of vaccinating 40% of the population by the end of 2021 and 70% by mid-2022. Additionally, the U.S. has set a 70% coverage target by the next United Nations General Assembly in September 2022.

However, as 2021 comes to an end, global COVID-19 vaccine coverage remains inequitable. By income-level, high- and middle-income countries have surpassed the 40% target for this year, with low-income countries at just 7% of their populations having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of December 20. While vaccine supplies are expected to ramp up early next year, the vaccination pace in these countries would have to greatly increase just to hit 40% coverage by the end of 2022.

To assess global COVID-19 vaccination equity by income level, region, and country, and to compare vaccination to global targets, visit our tracker.