# WHO TB report 2026: India's TB deaths fall 38% since 2015, ahead of 35% global fall

URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-13/who-tb-report-2026-india-deaths/
Date: 13 November 2026 (2026-11-13)
Source: The Hindu, Page 12
UPSC papers: GS2, GS3
Publisher: upsc.help (Pratidin), free and open-source UPSC Civil Services current affairs. Not affiliated with UPSC. Every fact was checked against the source reports by a separate review before publishing.

**In one line:** The WHO's 2026 TB report shows India's TB deaths falling faster than the world's, but new infections are not falling fast enough anywhere.

The World Health Organization (WHO) released its Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 on 12 November 2026, drawing on data from 187 countries and areas. It estimates that 10.6 million people fell ill with tuberculosis (TB) in 2025 and 1.13 million died, a 4% fall in deaths from 2024. Global TB deaths are now 35% below 2015, which means the first milestone of the WHO End TB Strategy has been met, about five years later than planned. Incidence has fallen much less: by about 14% since 2015, according to the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, against a target of 50% by 2025. International donor funding fell 14%, from $1.1 billion to $0.94 billion, after aid cuts.

Citing the report, the Union Health Ministry said India's TB mortality fell 38% since 2015, ahead of the global 35%. The estimated TB mortality rate dropped from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 18 per lakh in 2025. Treatment success for drug-susceptible TB was 94%, and 96% of the programme's funding needs are met domestically. India still accounts for about a quarter of the world's TB cases, the highest of any country. Under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, between 7 December 2024 and 8 November 2026 over 25 crore people were screened, more than 11 crore chest X-rays were done, and 48.64 lakh TB cases were found, including 14.97 lakh people without symptoms.

The mortality estimates use the Registrar General's Sample Registration System, community verbal autopsies and data from the Ni-kshay portal. WHO says its estimate of India's TB incidence is under review: the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis carried out a national prevalence survey in 2025 and shared it with WHO, and an updated India profile will follow technical discussions. The government presents the figures as proof that active case finding works. The counterpoint is that India had set itself the goal of ending TB by 2025, five years ahead of the Sustainable Development Goal deadline of 2030, and that elimination needs new infections, not just deaths, to fall far faster.

## Prelims facts

- The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on 12 November 2026, estimates 10.6 million TB cases and 1.13 million TB deaths worldwide in 2025.
- Global TB deaths are 35% below 2015, meeting the End TB Strategy's first milestone about five years late.
- Citing the report, the Health Ministry said India's TB mortality fell 38% since 2015, with the rate down from 28 to 18 per lakh people.
- India accounts for about a quarter of global TB cases; treatment success for drug-susceptible TB is 94%.
- WHO's estimate of India's TB incidence is under review after the ICMR-NIRT national prevalence survey of 2025.

## Quick recall

- **When was the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 released?** 12 November 2026.
- **Global TB cases and deaths in 2025, per WHO?** About 10.6 million cases and 1.13 million deaths.
- **Fall in India's TB mortality since 2015, as cited by the Health Ministry?** 38%, against a global fall of 35%.
- **India's estimated TB mortality rate, 2015 and 2025?** 28 per lakh in 2015 and 18 per lakh in 2025.
- **India's share of global TB cases?** About a quarter (about 25%).
- **Treatment success rate for drug-susceptible TB in India?** 94%.
- **Monthly nutrition support under Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana?** ₹1,000 a month during treatment.
- **Why is WHO's India TB incidence estimate under review?** ICMR-NIRT shared a 2025 national TB prevalence survey with WHO; an updated India profile will follow.

## Prelims practice question

With reference to the WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, consider the following statements:
1. Global TB deaths in 2025 were 35% below the 2015 level.
2. Global TB incidence fell by 50% between 2015 and 2025.
3. India accounted for about a quarter of global TB cases.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only. Statement 1 is correct: deaths are 35% below 2015, the End TB Strategy's first milestone. Statement 2 is wrong: incidence fell only about 14%, against a target of 50% by 2025. Statement 3 is correct: India has about 25% of global cases.

## UPSC previous-year questions this connects to

- UPSC Mains 2018, GS2: Appropriate local community level healthcare intervention is a prerequisite to achieve 'Health for All' in India. Explain. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q176-appropriate-local-community-level-healthcare-intervention-prerequisite/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Use India's TB campaign as an example of community-level intervention producing measurable health gains.
- UPSC Mains 2024, GS2: In a crucial domain like the public healthcare system the Indian State should play a vital role to contain the adverse impact of marketisation of the system. Suggest some measures through which the State can enhance the reach of public healthcare at the grassroots level. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q174-crucial-domain-like-public-healthcare-system-indian/)
  How to use this story in the answer: Cite the TB programme as evidence that publicly funded, State-led care can reach the grassroots at scale.
- UPSC Mains 2020, GS2: Critically examine the role of WHO in providing global health security during the COVID-19 Pandemic. (https://upsc.help/pyq/q336-role-who-providing-global-health-security-during/)

## Mains practice question

India's TB deaths have fallen faster than the global average, but the country still carries about a quarter of the world's TB burden. Discuss the strategies behind this progress and the gaps that remain. (150 words)

### Model answer

The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026 shows India's TB mortality down 38% since 2015, ahead of the global 35%, yet India still has about 25% of the world's cases.

## Strategies behind progress
- **Active case finding:** the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan screened over 25 crore people and found 48.64 lakh cases, 14.97 lakh of them without symptoms.
- **Better diagnosis:** over 11 crore chest X-rays and rapid molecular tests.
- **Treatment and support:** 94% treatment success for drug-susceptible TB; ₹1,000 a month nutrition aid under Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana; Ni-kshay Mitra community support.
- **Domestic financing:** 96% of programme needs met from Indian funds.

## Gaps
- Global incidence fell only about 14% since 2015, far below the 50% target; WHO's India incidence estimate is under review.
- India's goal of ending TB by 2025 was missed.
- Drug-resistant TB and undernutrition remain risks.

## Conclusion
India now needs to cut new infections as sharply as it has cut deaths.

## The basics

## Why this matters

Tuberculosis (TB) kills more people than any other single infectious agent. India carries about a quarter of the world's TB cases, so the global fight is won or lost here. The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2026, released on 12 November 2026, is the yearly scorecard for that fight.

## What TB is

TB is caused by the bacterium *Mycobacterium tuberculosis*. It mostly attacks the lungs and spreads through the air when a person with active lung TB coughs or sneezes. Many infected people never fall ill; the risk of active disease rises with HIV, undernutrition, diabetes and tobacco use. TB is curable with a standard course of antibiotics. When bacteria resist the main drugs, it becomes Drug-resistant TB, which needs longer and costlier treatment.

## The global targets

The WHO End TB Strategy set milestones measured against 2015. Its first milestone, a 35% fall in TB deaths, was due by 2020. The 2026 report says the world reached it only in 2025, about five years late. Incidence, the rate of new cases, has fallen far less: by about 14% since 2015 by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease's reckoning, against a target of 50% by 2025.

## How India is attacking it

India's National TB Elimination Programme runs free diagnosis and treatment, digital case tracking on the Ni-kshay portal, and nutrition support of ₹1,000 a month under the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana. The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan adds mass screening drives that look for people who have TB but do not yet feel sick.

## The caveat

India's mortality estimate draws on the Sample Registration System, verbal autopsy surveys and Ni-kshay data. WHO says its estimate of India's TB incidence is under review after the ICMR-National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis shared a 2025 national prevalence survey. The incidence picture may change when WHO publishes an updated India profile.

## Sources

- https://superkalam.com/current-affairs/13-11-2026/india-sees-38-drop-in-tb-mortality-since-2015-who-report-pg12-8ec69900-ef65-4f37-9051-1ba56aece6cf
- https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240126480
- https://www.dtnext.in/news/national/india-records-38-drop-in-tb-deaths-since-2015-outpaces-global-decline-who-report
- https://medgatetoday.com/india-records-38-decline-in-tb-mortality-since-201
- https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/tuberculosis/who-funding-cuts-threaten-global-progress-against-tb
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/madhukarpai/2026/11/12/tb-killed-a-million-people-in-2025-even-as-aid-cuts-threaten-progress/