European countries with the highest incidence of measles 2023

In 2023, Azerbaijan had the highest rate of measles in Europe with over 1.3 thousand cases per million population (pmp). This was followed by Romania and Russia who both had rates of around 88 cases pmp.

Vaccine skepticism in Europe

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the spread of diseases can be controlled and eventually eradicated if over 95 percent of the population is immunized. Although the uptake of vaccinations among in Europe has been hindered by a rise in vaccine skepticism. In 2018, of 41 European countries surveyed, only four countries (Iceland, Norway, Albania and Portugal) had more than a 95 percent share of individuals who believed that vaccines are important for children to have.

Link between cases and low vaccination rate

The high number of cases in some countries could be linked to vaccination rates. In 2023, almost 80 percent of the reported measles cases across Europe were among individuals who were unvaccinated. A significant share of adults across Europe reported in a survey they didn't believe vaccines were important for children to have. An indication that measles cases could rise in future without successful public health information campaigns.