Tuberculosis
The WHO African Region recorded 2.7 million people newly ill with TB and 378,000 deaths in 2024. TB incidence fell 28% and deaths fell 46% between 2015 and 2024.
↓ Best regional decline globally
Burden
The WHO African Region recorded an estimated 2.7 million people newly ill with TB and 378,000 deaths in 2024. Africa accounts for approximately 25% of the global TB burden.
Concentration
DRC, Nigeria, South Africa, Mozambique, Ethiopia, and Tanzania carry the highest burden.
Trend
Declining fastest in the African Region — incidence fell 28% and deaths fell 46% between 2015 and 2024. Approximately 12 million African deaths averted between 2010 and 2024.
Drivers
- HIV co-infection
- Undernutrition and diabetes
- Smoking and alcohol
- Household crowding
- MDR-TB affected ~57,000 people in the region in 2024
Gaps
600,000 Africans with TB remain undiagnosed or untreated each year. Nearly 70% of TB-affected households face catastrophic costs — the highest globally.
“Between 2015 and 2024, TB incidence fell by 28% and TB deaths by 46% in the WHO African Region — among the strongest global results.”WHO, 2025