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Funding Cuts Imperil Global Fight Against Tuberculosis
12 Nov
Summary
- 8 countries account for 67% of all TB patients, with India topping the list
- Global funding for TB treatment, prevention, and research has stagnated
- Modelling studies warn of up to 2 million additional TB deaths by 2035 due to funding cuts
According to the latest WHO Global Tuberculosis Report released on November 12, 2025, the global fight against tuberculosis (TB) faces a critical juncture. While there have been measurable gains in diagnosis, treatment, and innovation, persistent challenges in funding and equitable access to care threaten to undo these hard-won achievements.
The report reveals that eight countries account for 67% of all TB patients, with India topping the list at 25%. Despite this concentration of the burden, global funding for TB treatment, prevention, and research has stagnated since 2020, barely reaching a quarter of the targeted $22 billion annual goal set for 2027.
Modelling studies have already warned that long-term cuts to international donor funding could result in up to 2 million additional TB deaths and 100 million people falling ill with the disease between 2025 and 2035. This funding shortfall poses a serious challenge to the global community's efforts to eliminate TB by 2030, as outlined in the WHO's End TB Strategy.
The report also highlights progress made in some regions, such as the WHO African Region, which achieved a 28% reduction in TB incidence and a 46% drop in deaths between 2015 and 2024. However, the fact that TB continues to claim over 1 million lives each year, despite being preventable and curable, is described as "simply unconscionable" by WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
