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India Fails to Achieve TB Elimination Target Despite Declining Burden
17 Nov
Summary
- India recorded 27.1 lakh TB cases and over 3 lakh deaths in 2024
- India achieved only 21% reduction in new TB cases and 28% reduction in deaths since 2015
- India's treatment coverage improved to 92% in 2024, up from 85% in 2023
According to the recently released Global TB Report 2025, India's progress in tackling tuberculosis has been slow, despite a consistent decline in the estimated number of cases. As of 2025-11-17T12:47:03+00:00, the report shows that India recorded around 27.1 lakh TB cases and more than three lakh deaths in 2024, making it one of the top contributors to the global TB burden.
The report reveals that India has achieved only a 21% reduction in new TB cases and a 28% reduction in deaths between 2015 and 2024. This falls far short of the End TB milestones for 2025, which call for a 50% reduction in TB incidence and a 75% reduction in TB deaths compared to 2015. In fact, India has only managed to meet half of the global milestones set for 2020, which were a 20% reduction in TB cases and a 35% reduction in deaths.
However, the report does highlight some positive developments. India's treatment coverage has improved significantly, reaching 92% in 2024, up from 85% in the previous year. This increase can be attributed to initiatives such as the introduction of the BPaL regimen, which can shorten the treatment time for drug-resistant TB from 18-24 months to just six months. Additionally, India's TB treatment success rate of 90% in 2023 was ahead of the global average of 88%.
Despite these advancements, India continues to be a major contributor to the global burden of drug-resistant TB, accounting for nearly a third of all such cases worldwide. The report suggests that while the overall burden of drug-resistant TB has not increased significantly, it has also not seen a substantial decline.
As the world grapples with the ongoing challenge of tuberculosis, India's efforts to eliminate the disease by 2025 remain a crucial priority. The government has implemented various measures, including free treatment, community engagement programs, and the introduction of innovative diagnostic and treatment technologies. However, the findings of the Global TB Report 2025 indicate that much more needs to be done to achieve the ambitious target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
