The African region has recorded the steepest decline globally in tuberculosis (TB) deaths since 2015, despite falling short of key milestones to significantly lower the burden of the disease and end its toll on health and lives.

Deaths from TB fell by 42% between 2015 and 2023 while cases declined by 24% over the same period, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Report 2024. 

The reductions were mainly due to increased efforts by countries to reinforce case detection and provision of treatment, thus averting deaths. About 1.9 million cases were detected in 2023 compared with 1.4 million in 2020. Over the same period, treatment coverage rose from 55% to 74% across the region.

This year, World TB Day is being marked under the theme “Yes! We Can End TB: Commit, Invest, Deliver”, which calls for urgent action to turn commitments into tangible impact. It emphasizes the need for strong investment and decisive measures to scale up WHO-recommended interventions for early detection, diagnosis, preventive treatment and high-quality TB care.