December 22, 2025
Overview:
Vaccinating livestock is a proven way to prevent disease, protect food supplies, and reduce the need for antibiotics. However, until now, there has been no clear global picture of how widely animals are vaccinated or where major gaps remain. This One Health Trust collaborative study brings together data from around the world to show where livestock vaccination is working and where it is falling short.
The Question:
What are the rates of livestock vaccination globally for the most impactful diseases? How do vaccination rates and infection rates vary across diseases and countries? Where could expanding vaccination most effectively reduce disease incidence and protect animal and human health?
The Findings:
Using data from 203 countries and territories on 104 food animal diseases between 2005 and 2025, the researchers found that global livestock vaccination coverage remains low and uneven across countries in cattle, pigs, and poultry.
- Many major livestock diseases affect millions of animals, yet vaccination coverage is often below 20 percent.
- Coverage varies widely by disease and region, leaving large populations of food animals unprotected.
- Expanding vaccination in specific countries, including India and Argentina for cattle; China and Russia for pigs; and China, Brazil, and Iran for poultry, could most significantly reduce the global burden of livestock disease.
The findings highlight cost-effective opportunities through improving animal vaccination to strengthen food security, reduce disease spread, aid in climate change control, and lower antibiotic use, benefiting animal, environmental, and human health.
Read the article in PNAS here.
