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Which countries have the highest COVID vaccination rates in 2023?
Executive summary
Global reporting in 2023 shows wide variation in COVID-19 vaccination by metric: some countries led the world on cumulative doses per 100 people (Cuba was cited near the top with ~391 doses/100 by March 20, 2023), while European states like Portugal reported among the highest adult primary-course coverage in the EU (94.3% of adults) [1] [2]. Major data aggregators (Our World in Data, WHO dashboards, Johns Hopkins) were the primary sources to rank and compare countries by doses administered, people fully vaccinated, or percent of population covered — and different choices of metric produce different “leaders” [3] [4] [5].
1. Why “highest vaccination rate” depends on the metric you pick
There are several different ways to call a country “highest vaccinated”: cumulative doses administered per 100 people (which counts boosters and multiple doses per person), percent of population that completed a primary series (often reported for adults only), or percent of total population with at least one dose. Our World in Data explicitly warns that official coverage measures vary by eligibility definitions and Our World in Data seeks comparability across countries [3]. WHO’s COVID-19 dashboard also notes population estimate issues that can push coverage above 100% in some records [4]. Johns Hopkins’ tracker presents complementary metrics — doses, people fully vaccinated, and percentage fully vaccinated — and cautions discrepancies between sources [5].
2. Examples of countries cited as “top” in 2023 and why they appear there
Statista’s March 20, 2023 snapshot (sourced to OWID) highlighted Cuba with around 391 doses administered per 100 people, placing it among the highest by the doses-per-100 metric; Japan was also noted as a top performer in that dataset [1]. Within the EU, Portugal and Spain were singled out for very high primary-course coverage among adults: Portugal reportedly had 94.3% of adults complete a primary course and Spain 85.9% per ECDC-cited figures discussed in peer-reviewed reporting [2]. Denmark was also reported as one of the countries with the highest vaccination rate in some European assessments — reaching about 81.2% by June 2023 in one study [6].
3. Regional patterns and disparities: rich vs. low‑income gaps
Analyses published in 2023 show stark regional differences: Africa had the lowest uptake by doses per capita in mid‑2023, while high‑income regions logged far higher per‑capita dosing. A Health Affairs piece reported Africa at roughly 60 doses per 100,000 population as of May 2023 (noting the unusual per-100,000 unit in that source), versus much higher figures for Australia, South America, and the EU [7]. Global VAX and USAID reporting noted rapid gains in low‑income countries by June 1, 2023 — e.g., primary-series coverage in low‑income countries rose substantially and Africa’s coverage increased from 4.5% to ~30% over a defined period — but these gains still left large gaps with wealthier nations [8].
4. What academics found when comparing high‑vaccination countries to others
A peer‑reviewed study compared the 20 countries with the highest vaccination rates (minimum ~197 doses/100 as of end‑2022) to the rest of the world and examined effects on case‑fatality ratios, arguing that the top 20 had received ~260 doses/100 on average in that analysis [9]. That study illustrates how researchers use doses-per-100 to define “highest,” but it also underscores that any interpretation (e.g., effect on deaths) requires careful control for testing, reporting, demographics, and healthcare capacity — factors the study itself discussed [9].
5. Why different sources sometimes disagree and what to watch for
Disagreement among sources often stems from timing (a March vs. June snapshot), whether the measure counts doses versus people, and how data providers handle population denominators and age eligibility. Statista cited OWID snapshots for doses-per-100; ECDC and European-focused studies report adult primary‑series coverage; Johns Hopkins and WHO emphasize multiple comparable metrics and warn of reporting discrepancies [1] [2] [5] [4].
6. Bottom line for someone asking “which countries led in 2023?”
If you want leaders by cumulative doses per 100 people in early 2023, countries such as Cuba (around 391 doses/100 by March 20, 2023) and Japan appear near the top in the cited datasets [1]. If you want countries with the highest adult primary‑series coverage in Europe in 2023, Portugal and Spain were among the highest (Portugal ~94.3% adults) [2]. For a comprehensive, up‑to‑date ranking you should consult dynamic aggregators such as Our World in Data or the WHO vaccine dashboard and pay attention to which metric you choose [3] [4].
Limitations and next steps: This summary relies on available snapshots and secondary analyses supplied above; comprehensive country rankings change with the metric and date, so consult OWID, WHO, or Johns Hopkins for queryable, date-stamped tables if you want a sortable list for a specific day in 2023 [3] [4] [5].