Child immunization, DPT, measures the percentage of children ages 12-23 months who received DPT vaccinations before 12 months or at any time before the survey. A child is considered adequately immunized against diphtheria, pertussis (or whooping cough), and tetanus (DPT) after receiving three doses of vaccine. Development relevance: Immunization is one of the most cost-effective public health interventions, and ??is an essential component for reducing under-five mortality. Immunization coverage estimates are used to monitor coverage of immunization services and to guide disease eradication and elimination efforts. Limitations and exceptions: In many developing countries a lack of precise information on the size of the cohort of one-year-old children makes immunization coverage difficult to estimate from program statistics. Statistical concept and methodology: Governments in developing countries usually finance immunization against measles and diphtheria, pertussis (whooping cough), and tetanus (DTP) as part of the basic public health package. The data shown here are based on an assessment of national immunization coverage rates by the WHO and UNICEF. The assessment considered both administrative data from service providers and household survey data on children's immunization histories. Based on the data available, consideration of potential biases, and contributions of local experts, the most likely true level of immunization coverage was determined for each year. Notes on regional and global aggregates: When the vaccine is not introduced in a national immunization schedule, the missing value is assumed zero (or close to zero) in the relevant groups' averages.