The “standard” costs of vaccinating a child

This summary paper (English and French) was developed in response to a need expressed by advocacy and resource mobilization stakeholders to better communicate the costs of vaccinating a child residing in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). This paper provides benchmark values that can be helpful for advocacy and fundraising purposes, using an assumed, standard vaccination schedule for 2020.

The costs of vaccinating a child differ between countries due to variations in vaccine products, vaccine prices negotiated with manufacturers, and differences in vaccine delivery costs. On average, the costs of vaccine and injection supplies for a child less than 12 months in LMICs amounts to US$25. When adding delivery costs, total fees are US$53 per child (range US$35 – US$91). When including costs of MR and DTP in the second year of life, total costs per child are US$58 (range US$37 – US$101).