While cases have begun to decline for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the WHO cautioned that a widening funding gap threatens to reverse recent progress in controlling the disease.

“Declines in the global burden of TB, and progress in testing, treatment, social protection and research are all welcome news after years of setbacks, but progress is not victory,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“The fact that TB continues to claim over a million lives each year, despite being preventable and curable, is simply unconscionable.”

According to the report, global funding for TB control has stagnated since 2020, with only $5.9 billion available in 2024, far short of the $22 billion annual target set for 2027. The WHO warns that the shortfall could result in up to two million additional deaths and 10 million new cases over the next decade.

Between 2023 and 2024, the global rate of people falling ill with TB declined by nearly 2%, while deaths dropped by 3%. Testing and treatment coverage have also expanded, with rapid testing now reaching 54% of the global population, up from 48% the previous year, and treatment success recorded at 88%.

The WHO African Region achieved a 28% reduction in TB incidence and a 46% decrease in deaths between 2015 and 2024, while the European Region recorded even sharper declines, 39% in incidence and 49% in deaths.

However, the report noted that 87% of global TB cases in 2024 were concentrated in 30 high-burden countries, where access to healthcare and social protection remains limited.

The WHO urged governments and donors to close the funding gap to sustain momentum in the fight against TB, emphasising that the disease is both preventable and curable with sustained investment and equitable healthcare access.

–UN/ChannelAfrica–