10 facts on tuberculosis

In 2022, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide.

In 2022, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) worldwide. 5.8million men, 3.5 million women and 1.3 million children. TB is present in all countries and age groups. But TB is curable and preventable.

A total of 1.3 million people died from TB in 2022 (including 167 000 people with HIV)

A total of 1.3 million people died from TB in 2022 (including 167 000 people with HIV). Worldwide, TB is the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19 (above HIV and AIDS).

In 2022, the 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of new TB cases

In 2022, the 30 high TB burden countries accounted for 87% of new TB cases. Eight countries account for two thirds of the total: Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines.

In 2022, 1.3 million children fell ill with TB globally

In 2022, 1.3 million children fell ill with TB globally. Child and adolescent TB is often overlooked by health providers and can be difficult to diagnose and treat.

TB is the leading killer of people with HIV

TB is the leading killer of people with HIV. Among all incident cases of TB in 2022, 6.3% were people living with HIV; this proportion has been steadily declining for several years. In 2022, 671 000 people living with HIV fell ill with TB, with the highest burden in countries in the WHO African Region.

The global coverage of HIV testing among people diagnosed with TB remained high in 2022, at 80%. The global coverage of antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV who were newly diagnosed and reported with TB was 85% in 2022.

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat

Multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) remains a public health crisis and a health security threat. Only about 2 in 5 people with drug resistant TB accessed treatment in 2022. In some cases an even more severe form of multi-drug resistant TB may develop with bad treatment. Pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR-TB) and (XDR-TB) are forms of TB that responds to even fewer available medicines.

Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 75 million lives since the year 2000.

Global efforts to combat TB have saved an estimated 75 million lives since the year 2000, but important diagnostic and treatment gaps persist. The treatment success rate for people treated for TB with first-line regimens was 88% in 2021.

Globally, TB incidence rose by 3.9% between 2020 and 2022, reversing declines of about 2% per year for most of the past 2 decades.

Globally, TB incidence rose by 3.9% between 2020 and 2022, reversing declines of about 2% per year for most of the past 2 decades. This is still slower than the 4–5% annual decline that was required to achieve the 2020 milestones of the WHO End TB Strategy, accelerating to 10% per year by 2025 and then to an average of 17% per year from 2025 to 2035.

Of the estimated 10.6 million people who fell ill with TB in 2022, only 7.5 million were detected.

Of the estimated 10.6 million people who fell ill with TB in 2022, only 7.5 million were detected and notified, leading to a gap of 3.1 million cases. Ending the TB epidemic by 2030 is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Progress in reducing the burden of tuberculosis (TB) disease requires adequate funding sustained over many years.

Progress in reducing the burden of tuberculosis (TB) disease requires adequate funding sustained over many years, spending in low- and middle-income countries increased from US$ 5.4 billion in 2021 to US$ 5.8 billion in 2022. This falls far short of the target of US$ 13 billion per year by 2022 that was set at the first UN high-level meeting on TB. For research and development, at least an extra US$ 1 billion per year is needed to accelerate the development of new tools.