While Australia-wide jabs have slightly decreased this year, latest data show increases in vaccination rates in First Nations people and young children.
Flu immunisation data from 1 March to 28 June 2026 show Australians received 8.19 million influenza vaccine doses, a 0.6% decrease from the same period last year.
Despite the slight national decline, uptake increased in several priority groups. Vaccinations among children aged under five years rose 12.9%, from 325,070 doses in 2025 to 367,020 this year.
Influenza vaccination among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people also reached a record high of 202,900 doses, a 7.3% increase from 2025 after declining steadily between 2023 and 2025.
Vaccinations in people aged 65 years and over also increased around 1% this year, with 30,280 more doses administered than during the same period in 2025.
State-wise, immunisation increased in New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia by 22,670, 4740, and 1620 flu shots, respectively, and decreased in the remaining states and territories.
Vaccination settings continued to shift towards pharmacies. Pharmacy-administered influenza vaccinations have increased every year since 2023 across the nation, rising 30.4% overall from 1.96 million to 2.55 million doses. Increases in pharmacy administration have been seen across every state and territory individually each year, with the exception of Western Australia which saw a drop from 2023 to 2024.
In contrast, GP-administered influenza vaccinations have continued to decline. Since 2023, the number of doses delivered in general practice has fallen 17.4% from 5.21 million to 4.30 million. Compared with the same period in 2025, GP vaccinations were down 5.9% this year with 267,610 fewer doses administered.
So far in 2026, there have been 41,732 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza, according to the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System (accessed 30 June), compared to 155,923 for the same period last year.
The full immunisation data are available here.
