India accounts for 25% new TB cases globally

• Tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious killers, claiming over 1.23 million lives and affecting an estimated 10.7 million people in 2024, according to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 released on November 12.

• Cases are on a downward trajectory for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.

• India accounted for the most number of TB cases in 2024, followed by Indonesia, the Philippines, China, and Pakistan.

• Ending TB globally will require accelerated progress in countries with the highest burden. 

• In 2024, about 87 per cent of the global number of people who developed TB disease was concentrated in 30 countries. 

• Just eight of them accounted for 67 per cent of the global total: India (25 per cent), Indonesia (10 per cent), Philippines (6.8 per cent), China (6.5 per cent), Pakistan (6.3 per cent), Nigeria (4.8 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9 per cent) and Bangladesh (3.6 per cent).

Key facts about TB:

• Tuberculosis is caused by bacteria (Mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affect the lungs. It can spread when people who are sick with TB expel bacteria into the air – for example, by coughing.

• Every year, 10 million people fall ill with TB. Despite being a preventable and curable disease, 1.5 million people die from TB each year.

• TB is the leading cause of death of people with HIV and also a major contributor to antimicrobial resistance.

• Most people who develop the disease are adults.

• TB is preventable and curable. About 85 per cent of people who develop TB disease can be successfully treated with a 4/6-month drug regimen. Treatment has the added benefit of curtailing onward transmission of infection.

• Economic and financial barriers can affect access to health care for TB diagnosis and completion of TB treatment; about half of TB patients and their households face catastrophic total costs due to TB disease. 

• Progress towards universal health coverage (UHC), better levels of social protection and multisectoral action on broader TB determinants are all essential to reduce the burden of TB disease.

Key points of WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025:

• Between 2023 and 2024, the global rate of people falling ill with TB declined by nearly 2 per cent, while deaths from TB fell by 3 per cent.

• Some regions and countries show sustained progress, demonstrating that strong political commitment and investment address this ancient disease. Between 2015 and 2024, the WHO African Region achieved a 28 per cent reduction in the TB incidence rate (number of people falling ill with TB per 100,000 population per year) and a 46 per cent reduction in deaths. 

• The European Region saw even greater declines, with a 39 per cent drop in incidence and a 49 per cent reduction in deaths.

• During the same period, over 100 countries achieved at least a 20 per cent reduction in TB incidence rates, and 65 countries achieved reductions of 35 per cent or more in TB-related deaths.

• Timely treatment for TB has saved an estimated 83 million lives since 2000. Between 2023 and 2024, progress continued in TB diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, reflecting the impact of sustained efforts and innovation in countries.

• Over half of the population worldwide is covered by rapid testing, 54 per cent up in 2024 from 48 per cent in 2023. Additionally, treatment saw a success rate of 88 per cent.

Funding gaps endanger progress and research

• Despite measurable progress in diagnosis, treatment and innovation, persistent challenges in funding and equitable access to care threaten to reverse hard-won gains in the global fight against TB.

• In 2024, only $5.9 billion was available for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment — just over a quarter of the $22 billion annual target set for 2027.

• Cuts to international donor funding from 2025 onward pose a serious challenge. 

• Modelling studies have already warned that long-term cuts to international donor funding could result in up to 2 million additional deaths and 10 million people falling ill with TB between 2025 and 2035.