Individuals over 65 who got the flu vaccination in Italy 2023-2024, by region

During the flu season 2023-2024, about 53 percent of elderly individuals in Italy received a flu vaccination. This statistic highlights regional differences in this figure. According to the data, Umbria was the region with the highest share of over 65-year-old individuals receiving such a vaccination, with 65.8 percent. Conversely, only 35.7 percent of the elderly living in the Sardinia were vaccinated that year. When looking at the regional differences in this matter, considering the overall population, Liguria was still the region with the highest rate of flu vaccination with over 22 percent coverage, followed by the regions of Tuscany and Umbria.

Vaccination over time

In the past two decades, the share of individuals in Italy aged 65 years and older vaccinated against the flu has fluctuated. According to the data, flu coverage for elderly people increased consistently up to the season 2005-2006, when it peaked at 68.3 percent, it then decreased considerably until the flu season 2023-2024, when it reached 53.3 percent. A similar trend, with lower rates, is observed when looking at the flu vaccination coverage rate of the overall population in Italy. In this case, the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 also corresponded to a steep increase in people getting vaccinated against influenza.

Flu vaccination by age

Elderly people have a higher chance of developing flu-related complications that might lead to hospitalization and death, and for this reason, they are recommended by the Italian Ministry of Health to get vaccinated against seasonal flu every year. As a matter of fact, during the flu season 2023-2024 coverage was highest among individuals aged 65 years and older, children aged 2-4 years followed, with a vaccination rate of 16.7 percent.