Vaccination remains one of the greatest achievements in public health. Vaccines have saved millions of lives across the globe from preventing childhood infections to protecting against emerging viral threats
But many people have a question:
What vaccines are currently available worldwide?
Here, we will walk through the complete list of vaccines available globally.
Routine Childhood and Adult Immunization Vaccines
These vaccines are part of national immunization programs in most countries and are recommended by the World Health Organization.
Bacterial Disease Vaccines
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis (Whooping Cough) – Often given as DTP/DTaP combination
- Tuberculosis (BCG vaccine)
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Meningococcal disease
- Typhoid
- Cholera
These vaccines are widely manufactured and distributed globally through public health programs.
Viral Disease Vaccines
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella (commonly combined as MMR)
- Poliomyelitis (Oral & Inactivated Polio Vaccine)
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV)
- Rotavirus
- Influenza (Seasonal Flu Vaccine)
- Varicella (Chickenpox)
- Yellow Fever
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Rabies
- Smallpox/Mpox vaccines
These vaccines form the backbone of global immunization schedules.
COVID-19 Vaccines
Since 2020, COVID-19 vaccines have become one of the most widely administered vaccines in history.
Major globally used COVID-19 vaccines include:
- Comirnaty by Pfizer / BioNTech
- Spikevax by Moderna
- Oxford-AstraZeneca / Covishield by AstraZeneca
- Nuvaxovid by Novavax
- BBIBP-CorV by Sinopharm
- CoronaVac by Sinovac
More than 50 COVID-19 vaccines have received authorization in at least one country worldwide.
Newly Introduced & Emerging Vaccines
- Global vaccine development continues to evolve.
- Malaria Vaccines: RTS,S (Mosquirix) and R21/Matrix-M
- Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) Vaccines
- Dengue Vaccines
Travel & Region-Specific Vaccines
Some vaccines are widely available but primarily recommended for travelers or specific geographic areas:
- Yellow Fever
- Japanese Encephalitis
- Cholera
- Rabies (pre-exposure)
- Typhoid
International travel requirements often depend on country-specific disease risk.
WHO Prequalified Vaccines
The World Health Organization maintains a Prequalification (PQ) list, which includes hundreds of vaccine products approved for procurement by international agencies.
Key points:
- Multiple manufacturers may produce the same vaccine.
- Over 1000 vaccine products exist globally.
- Availability varies by country policy and supply chains.
Important Considerations
- Availability does not mean universal access.
- National immunization schedules differ.
- Some vaccines are age-specific.
- New combination vaccines (like COVID-19 + Flu) are under development.
The vaccines available worldwide continue to expand as science advances and global collaboration strengthens.
| Disease / Target | Example Vaccine | Vaccine Type | Key Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuberculosis | BCG | Live Attenuated | Weakened Mycobacterium bovis |
| Measles | MMR (Measles component) | Live Attenuated | Long-term immunity |
| Mumps | MMR (Mumps component) | Live Attenuated | Combined vaccine |
| Rubella | MMR (Rubella component) | Live Attenuated | Prevents congenital infection |
| Varicella (Chickenpox) | Varicella vaccine | Live Attenuated | Prevents primary infection |
| Yellow Fever | 17D vaccine | Live Attenuated | Single-dose protection |
| Rotavirus | Rotarix / RotaTeq | Live Attenuated (Oral) | Mucosal immunity |
| Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) | Sabin OPV | Live Attenuated | Intestinal immunity |
| Polio (IPV) | Salk IPV | Inactivated (Killed) | Injectable, no replication |
| Rabies | Cell culture rabies vaccine | Inactivated | Post-exposure use |
| Hepatitis A | Hepatitis A vaccine | Inactivated | 2-dose schedule |
| Influenza (Injection) | Seasonal Flu Vaccine | Inactivated | Updated annually |
| Cholera | Oral Cholera Vaccine | Inactivated | Outbreak control |
| Japanese Encephalitis | JE Vaccine | Inactivated | Endemic regions |
| Diphtheria | DTaP/Tdap | Toxoid (Subunit) | Inactivated toxin |
| Tetanus | DTaP/Tdap | Toxoid (Subunit) | Booster required |
| Pertussis | DTaP (Acellular) | Subunit | Purified antigens |
| Hepatitis B | Hepatitis B vaccine | Recombinant Subunit | Yeast-produced HBsAg |
| HPV | HPV vaccine | Recombinant Subunit (VLP) | Cancer prevention |
| Pneumococcal Disease | PCV13/15/20 | Conjugate Subunit | Strong infant immunity |
| Meningococcal Disease | MenACWY / MenB | Conjugate / Protein Subunit | Serogroup-specific |
| Hib | Hib vaccine | Conjugate Subunit | Infant protection |
| Typhoid (Injectable) | Vi polysaccharide vaccine | Subunit (Polysaccharide) | Booster needed |
| Shingles (Herpes Zoster) | Shingrix | Recombinant Subunit | Adjuvanted protein |
| COVID-19 (mRNA) | Pfizer-BioNTech / Moderna | mRNA | Lipid nanoparticle platform |
| COVID-19 (Viral Vector) | AstraZeneca | Viral Vector (Non-replicating) | Adenovirus-based |
| Malaria | RTS,S / R21 | Protein Subunit | Circumsporozoite protein |
| Dengue | Dengue vaccine | Live Attenuated (Chimeric) | Region-specific use |
| RSV | RSV vaccine | Protein Subunit | Prefusion F protein |
