South-East Asia leads global TB cases—WHO urges swift action to address gaps and boost progress

The World Health Organization South-East Asia has urged countries to intensify action to end tuberculosis (TB), as despite the progress, the Region remains off track to meet the 2025 End TB milestones.

According to WHO's Global Tuberculosis Report 2025, 10.7 million people developed TB and 1.23 million died from the disease in 2024. The South-East Asia Region, home to less than a quarter of the global population, disproportionately accounts for more than one in every three new TB cases worldwide, emerging annually. Drug-resistant TB continues to pose a serious threat, with 150 000 new cases estimated in 2024.

The Region has reduced TB incidence by 16% since 2015, slightly faster than the global average of 12%. But deaths are not falling fast enough, and the Region's TB incidence rate of 201 per 100 000 people - remains well above the global average of 131.

"Tuberculosis continues to threaten health security and development across the South-East Asia Region, hitting the poorest the hardest," said Dr Catharina Boehme, Officer-in-Charge, WHO South-East Asia. "We know what works - early detection, rapid treatment, prevention, and strong primary health care. What's needed now is speed, scale, and sustained political and financial commitment."

Still, the Region has achieved notable gains: treatment coverage now exceeds 85%, and treatment success rates are among the highest in the world. Preventive therapy for people living with HIV and household contacts has also expanded sharply, outpacing global averages.

At the same time, undernutrition and diabetes remain the Region's top TB risk factors, contributing to nearly 850 000 new cases each year. Almost half of all TB-affected families (44%) face catastrophic costs, while funding for TB programmes has stalled, threatening hard-won gains.

TB burden in 2024 continued to vary across the Region. Myanmar and Timor-Leste continued to record high TB incidence rates at around 480-500 per 100 000 population, placing them among the higher-incidence settings globally. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand reported incidence levels between 146 and 269 per 100 000 reflecting steady but too-slow declines. Sri Lanka and Maldives remained relatively low-incidence settings, with incidence ranging from 50-99 and 10-49 cases per 100 000 population, respectively. In absolute numbers, India had an estimated 2.71 million people with TB, followed by Bangladesh 384 000, Myanmar 263 000, Thailand 104 000, and Nepal 67 000.

Several countries demonstrated encouraging gains. Bangladesh, India, and Thailand notified a large proportion of estimated cases, narrowing detection gaps.

TB-related mortality, though substantial, has shown signs of improvement in several Member States. Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Thailand reported declines in estimated deaths due to TB compared to 2015, supported by recovery of essential TB services in the post-COVID-19 era. Yet the overall pace of decline across the Region remains insufficient to meet the 2025 End TB milestones.

WHO stressed the need to protect and expand essential TB services, integrate them into primary health care, and strengthen social protection through nutrition, cash transfers, and transport support. Investing in communities, innovation, and digital tools will be key to closing the remaining gaps.

"The South-East Asia Region has shown that progress is possible through leadership, innovation and collaboration - but progress must now accelerate," said Dr Boehme. "We have the tools to end TB. The time to act decisively is now."