This year's report from the ECDC and WHO/Europe: Europe is on the right track, but there is still much to be done
On World Tuberculosis Day, March 23, 2026, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the ECDC (European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control) released their annual joint tuberculosis report, which includes data on epidemiological trends in 2024.
The report shows that the European Region has made good progress in combating tuberculosis, but still falls short of the WHO’s End TB targets.
The WHO European Region, which comprises the 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, including Russia, as well as the 30 countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA), are examined both separately and in conjunction with one another.
European Union and European Economic Area (EU/EEA):
In 2024, 38,249 cases of TB were reported to the EU/EEA from all 30 countries, corresponding to an incidence rate of 8.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. The total number of TB cases has decreased by 33% since 2015, and the number of deaths has decreased by 17%.
As in previous years, there remain significant gaps in the collection of treatment outcomes data across the EU/EEA. One in five people (22%) who begin TB treatment cannot be tracked until the end of their treatment.
In the EU/EEA, the proportion of patients with rifampicin-resistant or multidrug-resistant TB (RR/MDR-TB) remains low, averaging 3.5% of reported TB cases (817 cases). However, treatment success rates are insufficient. Of the 736 RR/MDR-TB cases reported in 2022 for which treatment outcomes were documented in 2024, only 56% were successfully treated, 13% died, 5.7% experienced treatment failure, and 7.2% were lost to follow-up. Although the treatment success rate increased from 52% to 56% compared to 2022, better treatment outcomes would still be desirable. Three cases of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB) were reported in the EU/EEA, all of which were fatal.
WHO European Region:
When looking at data for the entire WHO European Region (including Russia), a different picture emerges. Due to insufficient reporting data, the actual number of TB cases is estimated by the ECDC and the WHO. According to these estimates, approximately 204,000 people contracted TB in 2024, corresponding to an incidence of 22 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. However, in 2024, only 161,569 newly diagnosed TB cases were officially reported (incidence of 17.2 cases per 100,000 people) in 51 of the 53 countries in the region. This suggests that approximately one in five cases went unreported and thus remains undetected.
Although the estimated incidence of TB in the European Region fell by 39% and the number of deaths by 49% between 2015 and 2024, both figures remain well below the targets set out in the End TB Strategy. The WHO’s planned goal of reducing TB cases in the WHO European Region by 80% by 2030 is a major challenge.
Another problem in the European Region is the high proportion of drug-resistant TB cases. In 2024, the number of people in the European Region diagnosed with RR/MDR-TB was estimated at 55,000.
This represents 23% of new cases and 51% of previously treated cases. Globally, RR/MDR is detected in only 3.2% of new cases and 16% of previously treated cases. The proportion of RR/MDR-TB among tuberculosis cases in the European Region thus significantly exceeds the global average.
The treatment success rate in the European Region also falls short of WHO targets. In 2024, it stood at 74% for all newly diagnosed cases. However, this still represents a significant improvement over the 60% success rate recorded in 2021. For pre-extensively drug-resistant TB (pre-XDR), treatment success was reported in only 52% of patients. Mortality was 13% for RR/MDR-TB and 11% for pre-XDR.
You can read the full report here >>
Summary and commentary:
Fortunately, there has been a significant decline in TB cases in the EU/EEA since 2015. Nevertheless, the WHO’s planned milestones on the path to TB elimination are not being met. The high proportion of RR/MDR-TB in the European Region remains a challenge. Even though treatment success rates are improving, the proportion of treatment failures and deaths is still too high.
