India cuts TB deaths by 38 percent since 2015, WHO report says

India has recorded a 38 percent reduction in tuberculosis mortality since 2015, according to the World Health Organization's Global Tuberculosis Report 2026. The decline outpaces the global reduction of 35 percent over the same period.

The report was released on Thursday, November 12, and its findings were announced by India's health ministry in a statement. Officials credited early detection, timely treatment, technological innovation and comprehensive patient care for the progress.

“India's fight against TB has evolved into a nationwide Jan Andolan.”

Mortality estimates drew on several data sources, including India's Registrar General sample registration system, community-based verbal autopsy assessments and programme data from the Ni-kshay portal. The estimated TB death rate fell from 28 per lakh of population in 2015 to 18 per lakh in 2025.

Treatment success among patients with drug-susceptible TB reached 94 percent, showing the effectiveness of India's patient-centred approach. The ministry also highlighted strengthened treatment delivery and sustained support for people affected by TB.

Interventions under the National TB Elimination Programme include AI-enabled chest X-rays, rapid molecular diagnostics, hotspot identification and predictive tools for high-risk cases. Nutritional support is provided through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and Ni-kshay Mitra initiative.

Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the anti-TB effort has become a nationwide Jan Andolan. The TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan has expanded community screening and preventive treatment, bringing services closer to vulnerable populations.

Domestic resources cover 96 percent of the TB programme's funding requirements, reflecting India's financial commitment to elimination.