Vaccination inequalities are associated with many factors, including geography, socio-economic status and ethnicity.²

Vaccination uptake is lower overall for people living in the most deprived areas than those in the least deprived areas.² The gaps are greater for teenage and adult vaccinations.²

Meningococcal ACWY (S3 pupils): 26.1% point gap.²

Influenza (adults): 25.9% point gap.²

Variation in vaccination uptake and coverage rates across Scotland^2,3

Scotland’s 5-year delivery plan priorities for vaccination:

Timely and equitable access: Services meet the needs of all communities.

Make every contact count: Optimise public experience and engagement.

Strengthen capacity and capability of the multi-disciplinary vaccination workforce.

Use a system-wide approach: to achieve safe, effective, sustainable and patient-centred services across all settings.¹

1. Public Health Scotland, ‘Scotland’s 5-year Vaccination and Immunisation Framework and Delivery Plan’, November 2024, available at https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scotlands-5-year-vaccination-and-immunisation-framework-and-delivery-plan/.

2. Public Health Scotland, ‘Protecting the population of Scotland from vaccine preventable diseases: Vaccination and Immunisation Report Annual report 2025’, June 2026, available at https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/protecting-the-population-of-scotland-from-vaccine-preventable-diseases-vaccination-and-immunisation-report/protecting-the-population-of-scotland-from-vaccine-preventable-diseases-vaccination-and-immunisation-report-in-2025/.

3. Public Health Scotland Vaccination Surveillance Dashboard, all data accessed 19 August 2026, available at https://scotland.shinyapps.io/phs-vaccination-surveillance/.

4. Scottish Government Chief Medical Officer Directorate, ‘Winter programme 2025 – seasonal flu and COVID-19 vaccination letter’, August 2025, available at https://www.publications.scot.nhs.uk/files/cmo-2025-15.pdf.