Tuberculosis (TB) remains the world’s leading infectious killer, claiming an estimated 1.23 million lives last year, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), which warned that recent gains made against the disease remain fragile.
Deaths from tuberculosis fell by three percent from 2023, while cases declined by nearly two percent, the WHO said in its annual overview.
An estimated 10.7 million people worldwide contracted TB in 2024: 5.8 million men, 3.7 million women, and 1.2 million children.
A preventable and curable disease, tuberculosis is caused by bacteria that primarily affect the lungs. It spreads through the air when infected people cough, sneeze, or spit.
TB cases and deaths are both declining “for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic,” which disrupted global health services, said Tereza Kasaeva, head of the WHO Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis, and Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Funding for the global fight against TB has stagnated since 2020. Last year, $5.9 billion was available for prevention, diagnosis, and treatment—far below the $22 billion annual target set for 2027.
Eight countries accounted for two-thirds of global TB cases in 2024.
