The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released on November 12, 2025, confirmed that India continues to bear the world's highest TB burden at 25% of global cases, with an estimated 10.7 million people affected globally in 2024 and TB claiming 1.23 million lives worldwide. However, India has made significant strides: TB incidence fell from 237 per lakh in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024 — a 21% reduction, nearly double the global pace of decline. Mortality dropped from 28 per lakh (2015) to 21 per lakh (2024), and treatment coverage improved from 53% to 92% over the same period. Despite this progress, India remains far from the WHO End TB Strategy targets of 80% incidence reduction and 90% mortality reduction by 2030. About one lakh TB cases remain 'missing' — undiagnosed and unreported — continuing to fuel transmission. India also accounts for 8.8% of the global TB detection gap, second only to Indonesia. The WHO flagged that funding challenges globally could reverse hard-won gains. India's Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (launched 2022), Nikshay Poshan Yojana, and Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) are key programme initiatives. The government has set a target to eliminate TB from India by 2025 — five years ahead of the global target — though the report signals this deadline may not be met.
WHO Global TB Report 2025: India Accounts for 25% of Global TB Burden, Achieves 21% Incidence Decline
The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released on November 12, 2025, confirmed that India continues to bear the world's highest TB burden at 25% of global cases, with an estimated 10.7 million people affected globally in 2024 and TB claiming 1.23 million lives worldwide. However, India has made significant strides: TB incidence fell from 237 per lakh in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024 — a 21% reduction, nearly double the global pace of decline. Mortality dropped from 28 per lakh (2015) to 21 per lakh (2024), and treatment coverage improved from 53% to 92% over the same period. Despite this progress, India remains far from the WHO End TB Strategy targets of 80% incidence reduction and 90% mortality reduction by 2030. About one lakh TB cases remain 'missing' — undiagnosed and unreported — continuing to fuel transmission. India also accounts for 8.8% of the global TB detection gap, second only to Indonesia. The WHO flagged that funding challenges globally could reverse hard-won gains. India's Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan (launched 2022), Nikshay Poshan Yojana, and Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST) are key programme initiatives. The government has set a target to eliminate TB from India by 2025 — five years ahead of the global target — though the report signals this deadline may not be met.
Key facts
- WHO Global TB Report 2025 confirms India bears 25% of the world's TB burden.
- India's TB incidence fell 21% from 237 to 187 per lakh between 2015 and 2024.
- Treatment coverage improved from 53% to 92% over the same period.
- About one lakh TB cases remain undiagnosed and unreported in India.
- Key initiatives include PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and Nikshay Poshan Yojana.
- India's 2025 TB elimination target is unlikely to be met per the report.
Mains angle
Q: Evaluate India's progress toward tuberculosis elimination in light of the WHO Global TB Report 2025, which confirmed India accounts for 25% of global cases despite a 21% incidence decline since 2015.
Answer (50 words):
The WHO Global TB Report 2025 (November 12) confirmed India carries 25% of global TB burden. Incidence fell 237 to 187 per lakh (2015-2024), a 21% decline; mortality dropped 28 to 21; treatment coverage improved 53% to 92%. Yet one lakh cases remain 'missing', jeopardising the 2025 elimination target.
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Frequently asked questions
What did the WHO Global TB Report 2025 say about India's share of the global TB burden?
The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, released on November 12–13, 2025, confirmed that India continues to bear the world's highest TB burden at 25% of all global cases. In 2024, an estimated 10.7 million people were affected globally and TB claimed 1.23 million lives worldwide.
By how much has India reduced its TB incidence since 2015 and how does this compare globally?
India reduced its TB incidence from 237 per lakh in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024 — a 21% decline. This is nearly double the global average pace of decline over the same period, reflecting India's accelerated national TB elimination efforts.
What is the PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan and what role does it play in TB elimination?
PM TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is India's flagship initiative to eliminate tuberculosis by 2025, later revised to 2030 given the scale of the challenge. It promotes Nikshay Mitra (community support for TB patients), nutritional support via Nikshay Poshan Yojana, and drives active case finding to close gaps in detection and reporting.
What is the Nikshay Poshan Yojana and who benefits from it?
Nikshay Poshan Yojana is a government scheme that provides a direct benefit transfer of ₹1,000 per month to TB patients for nutritional support during their course of treatment. Malnutrition is a major risk factor for TB and poor treatment outcomes, so this scheme directly addresses that vulnerability among India's TB patients.
Why has India's 2025 TB elimination target been missed and what is the new timeline?
Despite significant progress — a 21% incidence reduction and treatment coverage rising from 53% to 92% — the WHO report indicates India's 2025 TB elimination target will not be met, primarily because about one lakh TB cases remain undiagnosed and unreported annually. India has revised its elimination target to 2030, aligned with the global End TB Strategy.
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