Janet Ogundepo
The World Health Organisation has called on governments to increase domestic investment in tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis and treatment, warning that more than one million people still die from the disease annually despite a decline in global cases and deaths.
The WHO said domestic funding for tuberculosis increased by 14 per cent, from 2024 to 2025, reaching $5.6bn, partly offsetting a similar decline in international financing.
It said sustained domestic investment was critical to protecting progress against the disease amid cuts in global health funding.
In the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on Thursday, an estimated 10.6 million people developed tuberculosis in 2025, while 1.1 million died from the disease.
The report stated that global TB deaths had fallen by 35 per cent since 2015, achieving the first mortality milestone of the WHO End TB Strategy, although five years behind schedule.
It added that treatment had saved an estimated 86 million lives since 2000.
However, the global incidence rate of TB declined by only 14 per cent between 2015 and 2025, falling short of the 50 per cent reduction target set for 2025.
The WHO Director-General, Dr Ghebreyesus Tedros, said the decline in cases and deaths was encouraging, especially as countries faced funding cuts.
He said, “The continued decline in TB cases and deaths is very encouraging, especially given the challenges many countries have faced from funding cuts.
“Many governments have dug deeper into their own budgets to protect the gains they have made. And yet, more than one million people still die each year from a disease that is preventable and treatable. We urge countries and partners to urgently expand access to TB services, protect essential funding and accelerate the development of new tools to end this epidemic.”
Tedros urged governments and partners to expand access to TB services, protect essential funding and accelerate the development of new tools to end the epidemic.
The report noted that the global burden of tuberculosis remained concentrated in 30 countries, which accounted for 88 per cent of people who developed the disease in 2025.
It said progress varied across regions, with TB incidence declining by 42 per cent in the WHO European Region and 30 per cent in the African Region between 2015 and 2025.
In comparison, incidence fell by 18 per cent in South-East Asia and 6.6 per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean, while the Western Pacific recorded no net change.
The Americas recorded a 13 per cent increase in TB incidence above 2015 levels, marking the fifth consecutive year of rising cases.
The WHO attributed the differences to variations in TB risk factors, health system capacity, access to services and sustained investment.
The report also highlighted gaps in diagnosis, noting that of the estimated 10.6 million people who developed TB in 2025, only 8.4 million were diagnosed.
This left approximately 2.2 million people either undiagnosed or unreported.
It added that only 59 per cent of newly diagnosed patients were tested using a WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic test, below the 100 per cent target for 2027.
“Major gaps in access to timely diagnosis and treatment remain. Of the estimated 10.6 million people who developed TB in 2025, 8.4 million were diagnosed, leaving an estimated 2.2 million either undiagnosed or unreported. Just 59 per cent of newly diagnosed patients were tested using a WHO-recommended rapid diagnostic test, far short of the 100% target for 2027,” the WHO said.
On drug-resistant tuberculosis, the report estimated that 370,000 people developed rifampicin-resistant TB in 2025, but only 42 per cent received treatment.
However, uptake of the WHO-recommended six-month treatment regimen among treated patients increased from 18 per cent in 2024 to 42 per cent in 2025.
The organisation also raised concerns over inadequate funding for TB research, which stood at $1.2bn in 2023, less than one-quarter of the $5bn annual target required by 2027.
It said increased research investment was needed to develop and roll out new vaccines, diagnostic tools and treatments.
The WHO called on governments and partners to strengthen political commitment, protect and increase sustainable funding, expand access to prevention, rapid diagnosis and effective treatment, and accelerate investment in new tools.
It warned that progress must be faster for the world to get back on track towards ending the tuberculosis epidemic.
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