PubMed · 2026-07-01
A major global study found that tuberculosis killed 1.22 million people in 2023, with progress toward elimination targets falling well short and unevenly distributed across regions. Drug-resistant TB and the compounding effect of HIV continue to undermine gains, and cuts to global health funding threaten to reverse hard-won reductions.
In 2023, TB caused an estimated 9.11 million new cases and 1.22 million deaths globally, with 54.6 million disability-adjusted life-years lost.
From 2015 to 2023, TB incidence fell 19.2% and deaths fell 22.6%, but these rates fall far short of the WHO targets of 90% incidence reduction and 95% mortality reduction by 2035.
Eliminating smoking, alcohol use, and high fasting blood glucose would have prevented roughly 37% of TB deaths in 2023, reducing the toll from 1.22 million to 768,000.