Tuberculosis (TB)
Patient education
- A persistent cough needs checking
- TB is treatable
- Contacts may need screening
What it is
An infection that usually settles in the lungs and develops slowly, over weeks rather than days. It is curable, and the treatment is long and has to be finished.
When to seek urgent care
You are coughing up blood, are short of breath at rest, or have chest pain that is getting worse.
What are the facts
TB can be prevented and cured. These figures describe illness during 2024, not the number of people carrying TB bacteria without symptoms.
Worldwide
10.7 million- People were estimated to have fallen ill with TB during 2024
- About 1.23 million people died from TB
Low- and middle-income countries
10.4 million- Estimated new or recurrent TB cases
- About 1.5 cases in 1,000 residents during 2024
- About 1,183,000 estimated deaths
Sub-Saharan Africa
2.6 million- Estimated new or recurrent TB cases
- About 2.1 cases in 1,000 residents during 2024
- About 427,000 estimated deaths
Country comparison
Your countryEnable GPS or choose a country in the interactive reader to compare its figures with the top ten.
Only about 2 in 5 people with drug-resistant TB accessed treatment in 2024.
2024 estimates
The 10 countries with the most TB cases
2024 estimates, ordered by total burden from highest to lowest. Each row compares new and recurrent TB cases with the matching country population. Counts remain below the country name.
- India: 1.9 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 2.71M TB cases.
- Indonesia: 3.8 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 1.08M TB cases.
- Philippines: 6.2 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.72M TB cases.
- China: 0.5 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.70M TB cases.
- Pakistan: 2.7 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.67M TB cases.
- Nigeria: 2.2 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.51M TB cases.
- DR Congo: 3.8 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.41M TB cases.
- Bangladesh: 2.2 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.38M TB cases.
- Myanmar: 4.8 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.26M TB cases.
- South Africa: 3.9 in 1,000 residents, all ages; about 0.25M TB cases.
How to read these numbers
TB illness is different from TB infection without symptoms. These estimates include new and recurrent illness, not just diagnoses reported by clinics.
The WHO African Region and sub-Saharan Africa are different groupings. Income groups overlap regions; do not add these figures together.
The chart shows annual case counts, not deaths or a person’s chance of becoming ill. Estimates have uncertainty and may be revised.
Additional regional context: Africa · WHO African Region — 2.62 million new or recurrent TB cases in 2024—about one quarter of the global total. Source: WHO · Global TB report 2025, incidence table 1.1.1.
Country ranks compare totals within the same source and year, among countries and territories with available estimates. Missing estimates and zero values are different; neither is assigned a positive-burden rank.
Population icons use matching 2024 source denominators: WHO population at risk for malaria; WHO resident population for TB; IDF adults aged 20–79 for diabetes. These are crude count-to-population ratios, not age-standardised rates. Ten icons represent the whole comparison scale; small rates are labelled per 1,000. Annual episodes are not unique people. Missing denominators remain N/A.
Regional totals and population rates are calculated from the same 2024 WHO country estimates and denominators. Group membership uses the saved World Bank Country API snapshot checked 4 November 2026, not a claim of historical 2024 income classification. Income and regional groups overlap and must not be added. Countries without comparable source estimates are excluded. The member ISO codes and exact sums are retained with this topic data.
Previous regional rate context: World Bank / WHO 2024 series reported 157 TB cases per 100,000 residents for LMICs and 205 for SSA; these can differ slightly from our matched-country sums.
The tuberculosis 'Low estimated burden' message compares this source's estimated cases with its resident population: fewer than 10 per 100,000 per year. This is a descriptive estimate, not certification of elimination or an individual risk judgement. WHO's low-incidence framework uses notified cases and distinct, stricter thresholds for pre-elimination and elimination; this card does not assign those stages. A missing or zero estimate never establishes disease-free status.
Sources checked 2026-11-04.
How it shows
A cough lasting more than two or three weeks, sometimes with blood. Fever in the evenings, sweating at night, losing weight without trying, and feeling tired all the time.
What to do
A cough that has lasted more than two weeks should be tested for TB. Go to a health centre and ask for a TB test; you will be asked to produce sputum, and some centres test the same day.
Ask a public health centre to direct you to the TB programme and confirm current testing, treatment and cost arrangements.
Active TB and inactive infection
TB is caused by bacteria. Active TB in the lungs can spread through the air, especially during repeated close contact indoors. Someone with inactive (latent) TB has the bacteria without being ill and cannot pass it on, but may need treatment to stop it becoming active.
A long-lasting cough, weight loss, night sweats or unexplained fever deserves assessment. TB can affect organs outside the lungs, so not everybody has a cough. Tell the clinician about contact with someone with TB and any previous treatment.
Testing, treatment and people at home
Assessment may include a sputum test, chest X-ray or tests for TB infection. These tests answer different questions; a skin or blood test for infection does not alone show active lung disease.
Treatment uses several medicines under supervision. Keep follow-up visits and report side effects rather than stopping on your own. Open windows when safe and follow advice about masks and time away from work. Ask about screening household contacts, especially young children and people with HIV.
Sources
- Tuberculosis (TB) · Public sector health information · OGL v3.0
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Statistics and population data
2024 estimates. Sources checked 2026-11-04; this is separate from clinical review.
- WHO · TB facts, 2024 data
- WHO · Global TB report 2025, incidence table 1.1.1
- World Bank / WHO · TB incidence, 2024 (CC BY 4.0)
- WHO · Country TB estimates, 2024 (CSV)
- World Bank · Country API income and regional grouping snapshot, checked 4 November 2026
- WHO · Framework for low-incidence TB countries (2014); low levels are distinct from elimination; checked 4 November 2026