India Cuts TB Mortality by 38% Amid Data Gaps in WHO Report
India's TB deaths fell 38% in 2025, meeting the WHO interim target, but the latest WHO report omitted the country's incidence estimates pending survey calibration.
India reported 2.63 lakh tuberculosis (TB) deaths in 2025, a 38% decline since 2015, allowing the country to meet the WHO interim 2020 End TB mortality target of a 35% reduction. The World Health Organization’s 2026 Global TB Report noted that India accounted for nearly one-fourth of the global TB burden, with 25.3 lakh diagnosed cases in 2025, down from 26.18 lakh the previous year. However, the report did not include India's estimated incidence figures because the data from a 50-district sentinel surveillance survey conducted in 2025 are still under review.
Domestic financing continues to underpin the national response, with about 96% of the TB programme funded from the national budget. Key initiatives include the National TB Elimination Programme’s shift to an elimination strategy, mandatory private-sector case notification, real-time tracking through the Ni-kshay portal, and the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana cash transfer scheme for patient nutrition. The programme has also expanded rapid molecular diagnostics, AI-assisted X-ray screening, and shorter all-oral regimens for multidrug-resistant TB.
Experts highlight challenges such as delayed publication of granular state-level data, persistent “missing” cases due to diagnostic delays, fragmented private-sector care, and ongoing multidrug-resistant TB and stigma. They call for expedited calibration of the sentinel survey, broader decentralisation of molecular and AI screening to primary health centres, formal integration of private providers into the TB programme, and systematic death audits with expanded contact tracing.
"The omission of incidence estimates underscores the need for transparent, timely surveillance to guide policy and close the gap between notified and undiagnosed cases," a public health official involved in the TB programme said.
While the mortality reduction demonstrates progress, officials stress that achieving the 2025 WHO target of a 75% mortality decline will require addressing data gaps and strengthening early case detection across all districts.