Funding Gaps Threaten Global Progress in Tuberculosis Response

Global efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB) are showing signs of recovery after pandemic-related disruptions, but persistent funding shortfalls risk undermining progress, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2025. TB remains one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, killing more than 1.2 million people and affecting an estimated 10.7 million in 2024.

“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,” says Tedros Adhanom, Director General, WHO. “The fact that TB continues to claim over 1 million lives each year, despite being preventable and curable, is simply unconscionable.”

The report shows a steady decline in TB incidence and deaths worldwide. Between 2023 and 2024, new cases fell by nearly 2%, while deaths dropped by 3%, marking a continued rebound of health services disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2000, timely TB treatment has saved an estimated 83 million lives. However, WHO warns that progress remains uneven, with 87% of TB cases concentrated in 30 countries, and eight of them — including India, Indonesia, and the Philippines — accounting for two-thirds of the global total.

The WHO African Region reported a 28% drop in TB incidence and a 46% decrease in deaths between 2015 and 2024, while the European Region recorded declines of 39% and 49%, respectively. More than 100 countries reached a 20% reduction in incidence, and 65 achieved over 35% fewer deaths, meeting the first milestones of the WHO End TB Strategy.

Advances in diagnosis and treatment have contributed to these gains. In 2024, 8.3 million people were newly diagnosed and treated for TB, covering about 78% of those who developed the disease. Rapid testing coverage increased from 48% to 54% in one year, and treatment success rates for drug-susceptible TB remained high at 88%. Drug-resistant TB treatment outcomes also improved, with success rates rising to 71% in 2024.

Preventive care expanded as well, with 5.3 million high-risk individuals receiving prophylactic treatment, up from 4.7 million the previous year. Still, WHO notes that social protection, which is essential in addressing TB’s social and economic drivers, remains highly uneven. Among 30 high-burden countries, coverage ranges from just 3% in Uganda to 94% in Mongolia, with most reporting below 50%.

Funding shortages represent a critical barrier. Global TB funding reached only US$5.9 billion in 2024, far below the US$22 billion annual target set for 2027. Research investment remains similarly constrained, totaling US$1.2 billion in 2023, only 24% of the goal. WHO warns that cuts to international donor support could lead to 2 million additional deaths and 10 million new infections between 2025 and 2035.

As of August 2025, 63 diagnostic tests, 29 drugs, and 18 vaccine candidates were in development, including six in Phase 3 trials. The organization continues to push for accelerated research through the TB Vaccine Accelerator Council, which aims to expand vaccine innovation and availability.

“We are at a defining moment in the fight against TB,” says Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis, and STIs, WHO. “Funding cuts and persistent drivers of the epidemic threaten to undo hard-won gains, but with political commitment, sustained investment, and global solidarity, we can turn the tide and end this ancient killer once and for all.”

WHO is calling on governments to increase domestic investment, strengthen health systems, and address the socioeconomic factors that perpetuate TB transmission. Without renewed financial and political commitment, the organization warns that global targets to end TB by 2030 could remain out of reach.