The States have increased by 14 percent the national resources earmarked for the fight against tuberculosis, bringing them to 5,054 million euros in 2025, compared with 4,420 million in the previous year. This budget boost has made it possible to partially offset a cut of a similar magnitude in international funding, according to the latest report of the World Health Organization (WHO).
For 2025, it is estimated that 10.6 million people developed tuberculosis and that 1.1 million died from this cause. With a 35 percent decline in mortality since 2015 and a therapeutic approach that has enabled saving around 86 million lives since the year 2000, the world has achieved the first target for reducing deaths in the WHO End TB Strategy, although with a five-year delay against the planned timetable.
Nevertheless, the WHO warns that progress has been “too slow”. Since 2015, the global tuberculosis incidence rate (new cases per 100,000 population) has only decreased by 14 percent, far from the 50 percent target set for 2025. In addition, this disease continues to be the leading cause of death attributed to a single infectious agent.
“The continued decline in cases and deaths from tuberculosis is very encouraging, especially considering the difficulties many countries have faced due to funding cuts,” the WHO Director-General, Doctor Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said.
“Many governments have turned to their own budgets to protect the progress made. However, more than one million people continue to die every year from a disease that can be prevented and treated. We urge countries and their partners to urgently expand access to tuberculosis services, protect essential funding and accelerate the development of new tools to end this epidemic,” Tedros added.
WHO details that the global burden of tuberculosis continues to concentrate above all in 30 countries, which account for 88 percent of the estimated cases in 2025. The results, moreover, are very uneven across regions. Between 2015 and 2025, incidence fell by 42 percent in the WHO European Region and by 30 percent in the African Region, compared with 18 percent in Southeast Asia and just 6.6 percent in the Eastern Mediterranean. In the Western Pacific, no net variations were observed (0%). In the American continent, incidence increased again in 2025 for the fifth consecutive year, reaching 13 percent above the 2015 level.
Deficiencies in diagnosis and treatment
The UN health agency warns that “significant deficiencies” persist in access to early diagnosis and appropriate care. Of the 10.6 million people who are estimated to have developed tuberculosis in 2025, only 8.4 million were detected, leaving around 2.2 million without diagnosis or without notification. Only 59 percent of newly diagnosed patients underwent a rapid diagnostic test recommended by WHO, far below the 100% target set for 2027.
Drug-resistant tuberculosis continues to be a major challenge for public health. Of the 370,000 people estimated to have had rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis in 2025, only 42 percent accessed treatment. Among those who did receive therapy, the use of the six-month regimen recommended by WHO increased notably, rising from 18 percent in 2024 to 42 percent in 2025.
Research funded far below what is needed
WHO emphasizes that investment in tuberculosis research remains “clearly insufficient.” Funds allocated to this field reached 1.2 billion US dollars in 2023, less than a quarter of the 5.0 billion per year considered essential to achieve the goal set for 2027. The agency insists on the urgency of increasing resources to develop and roll out new vaccines, diagnostic tools, and treatment options.
In view of this scenario, the WHO calls on governments and their partners to strengthen political commitment, safeguard and expand sustainable financing against tuberculosis, quickly extend access to prevention, rapid diagnosis and effective treatments, and accelerate investment in new health technologies. According to the organization, it is essential to move at a much faster pace if the goal of ending the global tuberculosis epidemic is to be recovered.