Global Progress Against Tuberculosis at Risk Amid Severe Funding Shortfalls: WHO Report Warns. 

Geneva:

Global efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB)—one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases—are facing alarming setbacks due to stagnating funding and widening inequities in access to care, according to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released today.

Despite substantial gains in testing, treatment, and innovation, TB continues to claim over 1.2 million lives annually and affected an estimated 10.7 million people last year. WHO warns that unless governments and donors urgently strengthen investments, decades of progress could unravel.

“Declines in the global burden of TB, and progress in testing, treatment, social protection and research are all welcome news after years of setbacks, but progress is not victory,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “The fact that TB continues to claim over a million lives each year, despite being preventable and curable, is simply unconscionable.”

Encouraging Global Declines Mask Growing Risks

Between 2023 and 2024, the number of people falling ill with TB fell by nearly 2%, and TB deaths declined by 3%, reflecting recovery of health systems following COVID-19 disruptions.

Some regions have shown outstanding progress.

• The WHO African Region recorded a 28% reduction in TB incidence and a 46% reduction in deaths since 2015.
• The European Region achieved even greater declines, with incidence dropping 39% and deaths 49%.
• Over 100 countries reached at least a 20% reduction in TB incidence, and 65 countries cut TB deaths by more than 35%, meeting the first WHO End TB Strategy milestones.

But the gains are uneven. In 2024, 87% of all TB cases occurred in 30 high-burden countries. Just eight countries accounted for 67% of global cases—India, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bangladesh.

Advances in Treatment and Diagnosis

TB care continues to improve globally:

• 8.3 million people were newly diagnosed and treated in 2024—78% of all new cases.
• Rapid testing coverage increased from 48% (2023) to 54% (2024).
• Treatment success for drug-sensitive TB remained strong at 88%.
• Drug-resistant TB cases declined, with 164,000 people receiving treatment, and treatment success rose to 71%.
• Preventive treatment reached 5.3 million at-risk individuals, up from 4.7 million in 2023.

Social Protection: A Missing Link in TB Prevention

For the first time, WHO assessed progress toward social protection targets. Among 30 high-burden countries, coverage shows stark disparities—from 3.1% in Uganda to 94% in Mongolia. Nineteen countries reported less than 50% coverage, exposing millions to risks linked to poverty, undernutrition, HIV, diabetes, smoking, and alcohol use.

WHO stresses that confronting TB effectively requires multisectoral action, particularly in addressing income insecurity, food access, and social vulnerabilities.

Stagnant Funding Puts Millions at Risk

A major threat to global TB progress is chronic underfunding. Only US$5.9 billion was available in 2024 for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment—barely one-quarter of the US$22 billion annual target for 2027.

International donor cuts beginning in 2025 have sparked urgent concerns. Models predict that prolonged reductions could cause an additional 2 million deaths and 10 million new TB cases between 2025 and 2035.

Research funding is also lagging. In 2023, investment reached US$1.2 billion, just 24% of the target. Yet innovation continues:

• 63 diagnostic tests are currently in development.
• 29 TB drugs are in clinical trials—up from 8 in 2015.
• 18 vaccine candidates are being tested, including six in Phase 3.

WHO’s TB Vaccine Accelerator Council remains at the forefront of global vaccine development efforts.

A Pivotal Moment in the Fight Against TB

“We are at a defining moment,” said Dr. Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs. “Funding cuts and persistent drivers of the epidemic threaten to undo hard-won gains, but with political commitment, sustained investment, and global solidarity, we can turn the tide and end this ancient killer once and for all.”

WHO is calling for:

• Increased domestic investment in TB programmes
• Sustained political commitment at national and global levels
• Accelerated research and innovation
• Stronger social protection systems
• Multisectoral action to address the root causes of vulnerability

As the world aims to end TB by 2030, experts warn that the next few years will determine whether the goal remains within reach—or slips further away.