Global tuberculosis (TB) deaths declined to an estimated 1.13 million in 2025, a 35% reduction since 2015 that met a World Health Organization (WHO) mortality milestone originally set for 2020 but fell short of the 75% reduction milestone for 2025, according to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2026.
The report estimated that 10.6 million people developed TB in 2025, a 0.7% decrease compared with 2024. The global incidence rate fell to 129 cases per 100,000 population, down 1.6% from 131 in 2024. However, incidence has declined only 14% since 2015, substantially below the WHO End TB Strategy milestone of a 50% reduction by 2025.
TB remained the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. The estimated 1.13 million deaths represented a 4% reduction from 1.18 million in 2024 and a 35% reduction from 1.74 million in 2015.
The findings were drawn primarily from annual data submitted by national health ministries. In 2026, 187 countries and areas, representing more than 99% of the world's population and TB cases, reported information to WHO.
Diagnostic access remained a substantial concern. Although 8.4 million people were newly diagnosed and officially reported in 2025, this represented only 79% of estimated incident cases, compared with 78% in 2024. The gap between estimated incident cases and officially reported cases was approximately 2.2 million, reflecting both underdiagnosis and underreporting. Among newly diagnosed patients, 59% initially underwent a WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic test, an improvement from 54% in 2024 but below the organization's goal of universal initial rapid testing by 2027.
Treatment gaps were particularly pronounced for drug-resistant disease. WHO estimated that 370,000 people developed rifampicin-resistant TB in 2025, yet only 155,333 received treatment, representing 42% of estimated cases. Rifampicin resistance is especially consequential because rifampicin is the most effective first-line anti-TB drug.
The report documented a substantial shift toward shorter treatment regimens. Six-month regimens accounted for 42% of rifampicin-resistant TB treatment in 2025, compared with 18% in 2024. Treatment success remained approximately 70% for rifampicin-resistant disease, compared with 90% for drug-susceptible TB.
Preventive treatment also remained underused. In 2025, 5.2 million people at elevated risk received TB preventive therapy, including 3.7 million household contacts and 1.5 million people living with HIV. Coverage was 60% among people living with HIV who were newly enrolled in antiretroviral therapy (ART), compared with 26% among household contacts, according to WHO.
Geographically, 30 high-burden countries accounted for 88% of incident TB cases. India represented approximately one-quarter of the global total, followed by Indonesia at 10%. Men accounted for 54% of incident cases, women for 35%, and children for 11%.
WHO also highlighted major financial barriers to care, reporting that in 41 national surveys completed between 2015 and 2025, a pooled average of 47% of people treated for TB and their households faced catastrophic total costs—defined as direct medical, nonmedical, and indirect expenses exceeding 20% of annual household income. At the same time, international donor funding across 131 low- and middle-income countries declined 14% in 2025, dropping from $1.1 billion to $940 million (in constant 2025 US dollars), despite continued gaps in diagnostic, treatment, and preventive services.
Source: WHO
