TB deaths have fallen 35% since 2015, WHO says
Tuberculosis killed 1.1 million people in 2025, 35% fewer than in 2015, according to the World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Report 2026. Treatment has saved an estimated 86 million lives since 2000. The world has now reached the first death-reduction milestone of its strategy against the disease, though five years late, and new cases have fallen only 14%, far short of the target.
Tuberculosis is still one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, but it is killing fewer people. In 2025 it took 1.1 million lives, 35% fewer than in 2015, according to the Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, published by the World Health Organization on 12 November.
With that fall, the world has reached the first death-reduction milestone of the End TB Strategy. It got there five years late, and the other big goal is still far off: new cases have dropped only 14% since 2015, against a 2025 target of half.
86 million lives since 2000
Diagnosing and treating early works. According to the WHO, treatment has saved some 86 million lives since 2000. By region, incidence has fallen 42% in Europe, 30% in Africa and 18% in South-East Asia since 2015.
Treatment for drug-resistant TB is improving too. Use of the shorter six-month regimen rose from 18% of cases in 2024 to 42% in 2025. Before, these patients could spend up to two years on medication.
More home-grown money to protect the gains
The report comes in a year of cuts to international aid. The good news is that affected countries are spending more of their own money: domestic TB funding rose 14%, to $5.6 billion, between 2024 and 2025. The WHO says more will be needed to keep the progress from slipping.
