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World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Nigeria accounts for 4.9 per cent of the estimated global Tuberculosis (TB) burden, ranking sixth among eight countries responsible for about two-thirds of the world’s cases,
The WHO, in its Global TB Report 2026, identified Nigeria among countries carrying a significant share of the global disease burden, alongside India, Indonesia, the Philippines, China, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Bangladesh.
According to the report, India has the highest share, accounting for approximately 25 per cent of global TB cases, followed by Indonesia with 10 per cent, the Philippines with 6.8 per cent, China with 6.5 per cent and Pakistan with 6.4 per cent. Nigeria’s share of 4.9 per cent places it sixth, ahead of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with 3.9 per cent, and Bangladesh, with 3.7 per cent.
The report, which presents estimates for 2025, also listed Nigeria among 10 countries with the largest gaps between estimated TB incidence and cases officially reported to health authorities.
Although the country has made progress in identifying and notifying people with the disease, the WHO said a gap remains between the estimated number of people developing TB and those diagnosed and reported.
It noted that more than 80 per cent of estimated TB cases were diagnosed and notified in Nigeria, indicating progress in closing the detection gap.
The report also showed that Nigeria’s TB notifications continued to increase between 2019 and 2025. “However, rising notifications do not necessarily indicate an increase in actual incidence, as improved diagnosis and reporting could also account for the trend,” it noted.
The Report further identified Nigeria as among high-burden countries that increased domestic funding for TB control in 2025.
Across Africa, the report highlighted progress in reducing the impact of TB, with the WHO African Region recording a 30 per cent decline in incidence between 2015 and 2025.
Nevertheless, TB deaths in the region also fell by 50 per cent over the same period. Africa and Europe were the only WHO regions to surpass the End TB Strategy’s first milestone of a 20 per cent reduction in incidence by 2025.
However, Africa’s 30 per cent reduction remained below the 50 per cent target set for the year. The number of newly diagnosed and reported TB cases in the region in 2025 was also 43 per cent higher than the 2019 figure, a trend that may partly reflect improved case detection and reporting.
Globally, an estimated 10.6 million people developed TB in 2025, while approximately 1.13 million died from the disease. The death figure represented a four per cent decline from the estimated 1.18 million recorded in 2024.
The report said 8.4 million people were newly diagnosed and officially reported in 2025, representing about 79 per cent of estimated cases. It also estimated that 370,000 people developed rifampicin-resistant TB.
Despite the progress, the global response remains behind target. TB incidence declined by 14 per cent between 2015 and 2025, against a 50 per cent target, while deaths fell by 35 per cent, short of the 75 per cent target.
The WHO also raised concerns over funding, noting that international donor support for TB fell by 14 per cent, from $1.1 billion in 2024 to $940 million in 2025.
It noted that domestic funding, however, increased from $4.9 billion to $5.63 billion, bringing total available funding to about $6.6 billion in 2025.
WHO noted that the findings underscore the need for sustained investment in diagnosis, treatment and prevention, particularly in high-burden countries such as Nigeria.
