WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 Records First Decline in Cases and Deaths Since Pandemic

Geneva, Switzerland · 12 November 2025The World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released on 12 November, confirms that global tuberculosis incidence and deaths declined in 2024 — the first year-over-year decrease in both indicators since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted essential health services worldwide.The report provides the most comprehensive annual assessment of the TB epidemic, drawing on data from over 200 countries and territories. Its findings signal a recovery in diagnostic and treatment services, though progress remains insufficient to meet the targets set by the WHO End TB Strategy for 2030.## Key Epidemiological FindingsThe report's headline figures, based on 2024 data, show:| Indicator | 2024 Estimate | Change from 2023 ||---|---|---|| New TB cases (incidence) | 10.7 million | −2% (from 10.8 million) || TB deaths | 1.23 million | −3% (from 1.27 million) || TB incidence rate | ~125 per 100,000 population | Gradual decline |> [!STAT] An estimated 10.7 million people fell ill with TB in 2024, and 1.23 million died from the disease — including approximately 161,000 among people living with HIV. Both figures represent the first year-over-year decline since the pandemic-era surge that began in 2021.The reversal is significant because TB incidence and mortality had risen for three consecutive years (2021–2023) as COVID-19 lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, and health workforce diversions caused sharp drops in TB case detection and treatment completion.## Regional ProgressThe report highlights substantial regional variation, with the WHO African and European Regions achieving the most pronounced reductions over the past decade:- African Region: Between 2015 and 2024, TB incidence fell by 28% and TB deaths by 46% — the strongest sustained decline of any WHO region.- European Region: Over the same period, incidence dropped 39% and deaths fell 49%, driven by aggressive case-finding programmes and expanded access to drug-resistant TB treatment.- South-East Asia Region: Remains the highest-burden region, accounting for approximately 45% of global TB cases, but has begun to show declining trends in India and Indonesia.Globally, since the 2015 baseline for the End TB Strategy, there has been a cumulative 12% decrease in incidence and a 29% decrease in TB-related deaths.## The End TB Strategy GapDespite the encouraging reversal, WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned against complacency. In remarks accompanying the report's release, he stated:> "Progress is not victory. The decline we are seeing is encouraging, but it is not fast enough, and it is not everywhere. TB remains the world's leading infectious disease killer, and the current rate of decline is far from what we need to reach the End TB targets."The End TB Strategy, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2014, sets ambitious milestones for 2030:- 80% reduction in TB incidence (relative to 2015)- 90% reduction in TB deaths (relative to 2015)- No affected households facing catastrophic costs due to TBAt the current rate of decline — approximately 2% annually — the world is not on track to meet either target. Global incidence in 2024 (10.7 million) remains above the pre-pandemic level of 10.3 million recorded in 2020.## Funding Gaps and Access InequitiesThe report identifies two persistent barriers to accelerated progress:1. Funding shortfall: Global funding for TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment reached approximately $5.7 billion in 2024 — far below the $22 billion annual target set by the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. The gap has widened as donor countries redirect health assistance and as WHO itself confronts a 21% budget cut for the 2026–2027 biennium.2. Access inequities: Approximately 3.6 million people with TB were not diagnosed or reported to national health authorities in 2024, representing a persistent detection gap of roughly one-third of all estimated cases. The gap is most severe in high-burden, low-income countries where diagnostic infrastructure remains limited.## New TB Vaccines on the HorizonThe report notes encouraging progress in TB vaccine development, an area that has lagged for decades. The only currently licensed TB vaccine, BCG, dates from 1921 and provides variable protection, particularly against pulmonary TB in adults.Several candidates have advanced to late-stage clinical trials:- M72/AS01E (GSK): A Phase 3 trial enrolling approximately 26,000 participants across multiple sites in Africa and Southeast Asia reported promising interim data. If confirmed, it would be the first new TB vaccine in over a century.- MTBVAC: A live-attenuated candidate developed by the University of Zaragoza and Biofabri, currently in Phase 2b trials in South Africa.> [!INSIGHT] The convergence of declining TB burden and advancing vaccine candidates creates a potential inflection point. If M72/AS01E demonstrates efficacy in its Phase 3 readout — expected in 2026–2027 — the combination of expanded vaccination, improved diagnostics, and sustained treatment access could compress the timeline to the End TB targets in ways that current linear projections do not capture.## ImplicationsThe 2025 report offers cautious optimism but underscores the fragility of hard-won gains. The post-pandemic recovery in TB services is real but uneven, and the convergence of funding cuts, geopolitical instability, and climate-related displacement could reverse progress in high-burden settings. The report's central message — that progress is necessary but not sufficient — is a reminder that tuberculosis elimination requires sustained political commitment and financial investment, not merely the passage of time.---## Sources- WHO. Global Tuberculosis Report 2025. Released 12 November 2025. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240117662- WHO. WHO's Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 shows first decline in cases and deaths since the COVID-19 pandemic. News release, 12 November 2025.- ReliefWeb. WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025. 12 November 2025. Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/world/who-global-tuberculosis-report-2025- CIDRAP (Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy), University of Minnesota. Coverage of WHO Global TB Report 2025.- WHO. End TB Strategy. Adopted by the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly, 2014.