TB incidence in India down by 21 pc, almost double the rate of decline globally

NEW DELHI: In a significant development, TB incidence (new cases emerging each year) in India has been reduced by 21 per cent – from 237 per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024, according to the government.

This is almost double the pace of the decline observed globally at 12 per cent, as per the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 'Global TB Report 2025'.

According to Health Ministry, India’s innovative case finding approach, driven by the swift uptake of newer technologies, decentralisation of services and large scale community mobilisation, has led to the country’s treatment coverage to surge to over 92 per cent in 2024, from 53 per cent in 2015 – with 26.18 lakh TB patients being diagnosed in 2024, out of an estimated incidence of 27 lakh cases.

This has helped reduce the number of “missing cases” – those who had TB but were not reported to the programme – from an estimated 15 lakhs in 2015 to less than one lakh in 2024.