India has recorded a 38 per cent reduction in tuberculosis (TB)-related mortality since 2015, outpacing the global average reduction of 35 per cent, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO’s) Global TB Report 2026.
According to the report released late on Thursday, India’s estimated TB mortality rate dropped from 280 deaths per million people in 2015 to 180 deaths per million in 2025.
Despite this progress, India remains among the top eight countries that reported the highest number of people developing TB in 2025.
The WHO report stated that while most people who develop the disease are in 30 high TB-burden countries, the top eight countries contributed 67 per cent of the worldwide caseload in 2025.
These include India (25 per cent of global cases), followed by Indonesia (10 per cent), the Philippines (6.8 per cent), China (6.5 per cent) and Pakistan (6.4 per cent).
Nigeria (4.9 per cent), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.9 per cent) and Bangladesh (3.7 per cent) make up the rest of the list.
However, the world health body added that India’s TB profile would be separately reviewed and updated after the WHO, India’s Central TB Division and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) analyse district-level sentinel surveillance (DLSS) data.
This comes after a nationally representative TB prevalence survey conducted by the ICMR’s National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis (ICMR-NIRT) was shared with the WHO this year.
“Following completion of this work, estimates of trends in TB incidence are expected to be updated in early 2027, after which WHO will publish an updated country profile for India,” the world body said.
The report also noted that India remains among four countries that accounted for more than 50 per cent of global multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB cases in 2025. However, both the WHO and the ministry confirmed that MDR-TB incidence has been gradually declining.
Reacting to the WHO report, the Union Health Ministry said the reduction in TB mortality highlighted India’s strong performance in reducing TB-related deaths.
“A high treatment success rate of 94 per cent demonstrates the effectiveness of India’s patient-centred approach, strengthened treatment delivery and sustained support for people affected by TB,” the ministry added, citing the report.
The ministry said more than 250 million people have been brought under intensified screening through the Centre’s TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan. This includes conducting more than 110 million chest X-rays and 30 million molecular tests.
The ministry added that the efforts have led to the detection of 4.86 million TB cases, including 1.49 million asymptomatic cases, through intensified screening.
The WHO credited India for funding various TB programmes, with 96 per cent of TB programme funding requirements being met through domestic resources.
“The progress reflects the impact of intensified interventions under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), including proactive case finding, use of AI-enabled X-rays, rapid diagnostics, prompt treatment initiation, differentiated TB care, and nutritional support through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and Ni-kshay Mitra initiative,” the ministry said on Thursday.
It added that the government would continue to build on these gains through intensified screening, expanded access to quality diagnostics, prompt and effective treatment, TB preventive treatment, nutritional assistance and deeper community engagement.
