NEW GLOBAL TUBERCULOSIS REPORT:
A NEED FOR URGENT ACTION AND INVESTMENT
Despite progress in tackling tuberculosis (TB) over the past decades, the newly released WHO Global Tuberculosis Report presents figures that underscore the persistent and deadly impact of TB.
In 2023, 10.84 million people worldwide fell ill with TB, a rise of 4.6% since 2020, driven in part by population growth, with a concerning increase of TB cases in the Americas. Of these 10.84 million people, only 8.16 million were detected and reported, leaving an alarming gap of 2.7 million undiagnosed and thus untreated people.
TB claimed the lives of 1.25 million people, including 161,000 people living with HIV. While this marks a slight reduction from the 1.32 million deaths in 2022, TB is, again, the deadliest infectious disease in the world[1].
The global TB burden disproportionately affects a small portion of countries, with eight nations – Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the Philippines – accounting for two-thirds of all new cases.
TB resistance: a global threat
Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) continues to threaten public health and security, with three in five people with MDR-TB who do not have access to the treatments they need. In 2023, 175 923 people were diagnosed and treated for resistant TB, which represents 44% of the 400 000 people estimated to have developed MDR-TB or rifampicin-resistant TB.
A “definitive disease of deprivation”[2]
With no surprise, TB mainly affects poor and marginalized people in low- and middle-income countries, and out-of-pocket payments continue to be a significant barrier in accessing TB care, where healthcare expenses can represent 20% or more of household income, pushing families deeper into poverty and deterring people from completing – or even starting – treatment.
An underfunded crisis
In 2023, only USD 5.7 billion was available for global TB programs – a decrease compared to the USD 6.5 billion allocated in 2019, and even further from the USD 22 billion target set during the 2023 UN High-Level Meeting on TB. Funding for TB research and development (R&D) reached just USD 1 billion in 2022 against the global target of USD 5 billion needed every year.
The Global Fund, which provides 76% of all international TB financing, has invested approximately $10 billion in TB prevention and treatment since its establishment in 2002, and an additional $2 billion in TB/HIV programs. In countries where the Global Fund invests, TB deaths have dropped by 36% since 2002, demonstrating the clear and life-saving impact of sustained funding. Yet, without increased commitments and innovative financing approaches, progress remains at risk.
As the world prepares for the 2025 Global Fund Replenishment, there is a pivotal opportunity to reset the course of the global TB response. To achieve the World Leaders’ commitment to reduce TB deaths by 90% by 2030 (compared to 2015) and to reduce TB incidence by 80% by 2030, a drastic scale-up in funding is mandatory.
The TB crisis is a health issue, but also an economic and a social emergency, with far-reaching impacts on the world’s most vulnerable communities. The 2025 Global Fund Replenishment is the next opportunity to accelerate progress.
Read the 2024 WHO Global TB report
Check the Global Fund TB results
[1] During the COVID-19 crisis, TB was the second deadliest infectious disease after COVID-19.
[2] Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the WHO, October 2024: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/379339/9789240101531-eng.pdf