The 2025 WHO Global Tuberculosis Report shows that TB killed over 1.2 million people in 2024. Additionally, an estimated 10.7 million people were infected worldwide. However, despite progress in diagnosis and treatment, the disease remains a major global threat.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the high death toll deeply troubling. He said the world cannot afford complacency. Furthermore, he emphasized that a preventable and curable disease should not claim so many lives each year. Therefore, WHO is intensifying efforts to end TB by 2030.
Global TB Report Shows Progress and Remaining Challenges
Between 2023 and 2024, new TB cases fell by nearly 2 percent, while deaths dropped by 3 percent. This improvement was partly due to the recovery of health systems following the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, some regions made notable progress.
For example, the African Region recorded a 28 percent decline in incidence and a 46 percent drop in deaths from 2015 to 2024. Meanwhile, the European Region reported even larger reductions, with 39 percent fewer cases and 49 percent fewer deaths. Overall, more than 100 countries have cut TB incidence by at least 20 percent since 2015.
High-Burden Countries Remain Key
Despite these gains, TB remains concentrated in a few countries. In 2024, 87 percent of new cases occurred in just 30 countries. India alone accounted for 25 percent of the global burden. Moreover, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bangladesh also remain high-risk. Consequently, accelerated progress in these nations is crucial to ending TB globally.
Conclusion
The Global TB Report shows that tuberculosis remains a serious threat worldwide. Therefore, sustained funding, accountability, and targeted interventions are essential, especially in high-burden countries. Only with these measures can the world hope to save lives and achieve TB elimination by 2030.
