According to the World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on November 12, an estimated 1.13 million people died from tuberculosis (TB) in 2025.
The report highlights that tuberculosis remains the world’s leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. In 2025, an estimated 10.6 million people globally developed the bacterial disease, which primarily affects the lungs.
Significant gaps in diagnosis and care persist worldwide. Out of the total cases, most people who developed the disease are adults, and the vast majority of cases are concentrated in 30 countries, which account for 88 per cent of people who developed TB in 2025.
Despite ongoing hurdles, global efforts continue to show progress. Worldwide TB deaths have fallen by 35 percent since 2015. Between 2015 and 2025, TB incidence fell by 42 per cent in the WHO European Region and 30 per cent in the African Region, compared with 18 per cent in South-East Asia and just 6.6 per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean.
However, investment in TB research remains critically insufficient. Research funding stood at $1.2 billion in 2023, which is less than one quarter of the required $5 billion annual target for 2027, underscoring the urgent need for greater investment to develop and roll out new vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments.
