WHO Global TB Report 2026: India Cuts TB Deaths by 38% Since 2015
The World Health Organization (WHO) released its Global Tuberculosis Report 2026. It says deaths from tuberculosis (TB) in India have fallen by 38% since 2015, compared with a global fall of 35%.
India reached a 94% treatment success rate for patients with drug-susceptible TB (TB that normal medicines can still kill).
Worldwide, about 10.6 million people fell ill with TB in 2025 and 1.13 million died. TB is still the world's biggest killer among diseases caused by a single germ.
India still carries about a quarter of all new TB cases in the world, the highest share of any country. It is followed by Indonesia (10%), the Philippines (6.8%), China (6.5%) and Pakistan (6.4%).
Only about two in five people with drug-resistant TB got treatment in 2025. About half of TB patients and their families worldwide face "catastrophic" costs (costs above 20% of yearly household income).
The Union Health Ministry linked India's progress to the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP): active case finding with AI-enabled X-rays, rapid tests, nutrition support through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and Ni-kshay Mitra, and the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which brought over 25 crore people under screening between December 2024 and November 2026.
National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)
The National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, or NTEP, is the Government of India's main programme to find, treat and prevent tuberculosis (TB). It gives free tests, free medicines and money for food to every TB patient in the country, in government and private hospitals alike. It is run by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through its Central TB Division. Its goal is not just to control TB but to end it as a public health problem.
WHO's Global TB Report 2026 credits India's 38% fall in TB deaths since 2015 to NTEP's tools: active case finding with AI-enabled X-rays, rapid molecular tests, quick start of treatment and nutrition support through Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and Ni-kshay Mitras. The report also shows the gaps that remain: India still has about a quarter of the world's new TB cases.
End TB Strategy (WHO): The Global Plan to End Tuberculosis by 2035
The End TB Strategy is the World Health Organization's global plan to end the TB epidemic. It was approved by the World Health Assembly in May 2014 and covers the period from 2016 to 2035. It sets clear targets: by 2035, TB deaths should fall by 95% and new TB cases by 90%, compared with 2015. It also says no family should be pushed into poverty because of the cost of TB.
The Global TB Report 2026 is WHO's yearly check on the End TB Strategy. India's 38% fall in TB deaths since 2015 beats the 35% global figure but is still well short of the 75% death-reduction milestone set for 2025, and about half of patients worldwide still face catastrophic costs.
Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis (DR-TB): MDR, XDR and the Shorter BPaLM Treatment
Drug-resistant TB is TB caused by germs that the main TB medicines can no longer kill. It usually develops when patients do not get the right medicines or stop treatment midway, and it can then spread to other people through the air. Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) resists the two strongest first-line drugs, isoniazid and rifampicin. Treating it takes stronger medicines and costs far more.
The WHO report shows that while normal TB is being cured in 94% of Indian patients, drug-resistant TB remains the weak spot: most patients worldwide are still not being treated. Shorter regimens like BPaLM and faster testing are the main tools to close this gap.
- WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026: India's TB deaths down 38% since 2015; global fall 35%
- India's treatment success rate for drug-susceptible TB: 94%
- Global TB in 2025: 10.6 million fell ill (5.7 million men, 3.7 million women, 1.2 million children); 1.13 million died
- Regions with most new cases: South-East Asia (35%), Western Pacific (27%), Africa (25%)
- 30 high-burden countries hold about 88% of new cases; India about 25%, Indonesia 10%, Philippines 6.8%, China 6.5%, Pakistan 6.4%, Nigeria 4.9%, DR Congo 3.9%, Bangladesh 3.7%
- New cases linked to risk factors (global): undernutrition 9.6 lakh, diabetes 9.2 lakh, alcohol use 7.3 lakh, smoking 6.9 lakh, HIV 5.5 lakh
- About 50% of TB patients and their households face catastrophic costs (above 20% of household income)
- Only about 2 in 5 people with drug-resistant TB were treated in 2025
- Global TB efforts have saved about 86 million lives since 2000
- TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: over 25 crore people brought under screening (7 December 2024 to 8 November 2026)
- WHO's 2025 report: India's incidence fell 21% from 237 to 187 per lakh (2015 to 2024)