India has achieved a 38 per cent reduction in tuberculosis (TB) mortality since 2015, outperforming the global decline of 35 per cent, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Tuberculosis Report 2026.
The country’s estimated TB mortality rate fell from 28 deaths per lakh population in 2015 to 18 per lakh in 2025. The treatment success rate for patients with drug-susceptible TB has also reached 94 per cent.
The Union Health Ministry attributed the improvement to strengthened efforts under the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP), with a focus on early detection, timely treatment and patient support. Key interventions include proactive screening, AI-enabled chest X-rays, rapid diagnostic testing, differentiated TB care and nutritional assistance through the Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana and Ni-kshay Mitra initiative.
As part of the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, more than 25 crore people underwent intensified screening between December 7, 2024 and November 8, 2026. The campaign facilitated over 11 crore chest X-rays and more than three crore nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), leading to the identification of 48.64 lakh new TB cases, including 14.97 lakh asymptomatic cases.
The Ministry also highlighted the role of technology in strengthening TB diagnosis and screening. Portable AI-enabled digital X-ray systems, rapid molecular diagnostic tools and expanded diagnostic infrastructure have helped improve access to testing across geographically and socially diverse populations.
