India has registered a remarkable decline in the incidence of tuberculosis (TB), with new cases dropping by 21 percent between 2015 and 2024. Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda underscored the significance of the new figures, describing the decline as evidence of strengthened surveillance, improved treatment coverage and growing momentum under the national TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan.This significant reduction — from 237 cases per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh in 2024 — is nearly double the global rate of decline of 12 percent, highlighting the country’s accelerating progress against TB.
The decline in incidence is complemented by a drop in TB-related mortality, which fell from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh in 2024.
These gains come in the backdrop of intensified efforts under TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, launched in December 2024, which has mobilized resources across technology, diagnostics, community outreach and care delivery.
At the same time, treatment coverage has expanded dramatically: whereas only about 53 percent of estimated TB cases were being treated in 2015, by 2024 more than 92 percent of TB patients were receiving care.
This surge in identification and treatment has helped close the gap of “missing cases” — people with TB who were not previously captured in the national programme. The number of such unregistered cases has fallen from an estimated 15 lakh in 2015 to less than one lakh in 2024.
With better case detection and rapid initiation of treatment, India has achieved a treatment success rate of around 90 percent — surpassing the global average of 88 percent.
The scale and reach of TB-related care have also expanded dramatically. Under TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, over 19 crore vulnerable individuals across the country have been screened, leading to detection of more than 24.5 lakh TB patients — including about 8.61 lakh who were asymptomatic, underscoring the programme’s role in identifying sub-clinical or hidden TB.
To streamline care delivery, TB services have been decentralized through a network of local health institutions, including the integration of TB care in Ayushman Arogya Mandir facilities, ensuring accessibility at the community level.
The success reflects a strong policy push: over the last nine years, the government has significantly stepped up funding for TB elimination efforts. Alongside medical interventions, public-health strategies have included community mobilization to raise awareness, nurture early diagnosis, reduce stigma, and ensure treatment adherence.
As part of the broader drive, programme officials have emphasised the importance of continuous outreach, ground-level screening and community participation — particularly through local partners and civil-society volunteers — to sustain and amplify gains.
Despite these encouraging developments, the current TB burden in India remains significant. Even after the decline, the incidence rate of 187 per lakh in 2024 underscores that TB continues to pose a major public-health challenge.
Public-health experts caution that sustaining and scaling screening and treatment — especially in remote, underserved or high-density areas — will be critical. Ensuring that high-risk groups (those with co-morbidities, poor nutrition, or socio-economic vulnerabilities) are reached, and preventing the emergence or spread of drug-resistant TB, remain important priorities.
Maintaining gains also requires continued community engagement, improved infrastructure, and ongoing investment — both financial and institutional — across states and districts.
The 21 percent reduction in TB incidence and the corresponding declines in mortality mark a major milestone for India, and signal that the strategy underpinning TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan is delivering results. Combined with high treatment coverage, robust diagnostics, and decentralised care, the country is making serious strides toward TB elimination.
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