How many people die from TB?
Just one death from TB in Mumbai ©Rochind
Many people die as a result of TB. The mortality from TB, that is the number of deaths, is that TB is the tenth leading cause of death worldwide. TB is the leading cause from a single infectious agent, ranking above HIV/AIDS.
In 2018 an estimated 1.2 million people who were HIV negative died of TB.
In addition there were an estimated 251,000 deaths resulting from TB disease among people who were HIV positive.
So there were an estimated total of 1,451,000 TB related deaths.
In 2018 an estimated 173,000 HIV negative children died from TB as well as an estimated 32,000 HIV positive children. So it is estimated that in total 205,000 children died from TB.
Most of these deaths could have been prevented with earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment.
How many children die from TB?
An estimated 205,000 children died of TB in 2018.
All countries are asked to report their TB figures to the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO then use these notified figures to help produce estimated total TB statistics for each country, region, globally, by HIV status and by age. The WHO figures for the estimated number of deaths from TB in children in each WHO region for 2018 are given below.
Estimates are shown separately for HIV positive and HIV negative children, given that the cause of TB deaths among HIV positive people is internationally classified as being HIV.
| WHO Region | Total | HIV Negative TB Mortality Male 0-14 Years | HIV Negative TB Mortality Female 0-14 Years | HIV positive TB mortality Male 0-14 years | HIV positive TB Mortality Female 0-14 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Total | 205,000 | 92,000 | 81,000 | 17,000 | 15,000 |
| Africa | 90,000 | 32,000 | 28,000 | 16,000 | 14,000 |
| Americas | 920 | 410 | 360 | 80 | 70 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | 12,170 | 6,300 | 5,600 | 140 | 130 |
| Europe | 870 | 450 | 400 | 10 | 10 |
| South-East Asia | 87,720 | 46,000 | 40,000 | 920 | 800 |
| Western Pacific | 14,240 | 7,500 | 6,500 | 130 | 110 |
How many adults died from TB
There were an estimated 1,069,000 deaths in HIV negative people and 219,000 deaths from TB in HIV positive people in 2018.
| WHO Region | Total | HIV Negative TB Mortality Male > 14 Years | HIV Negative TB Mortality Female > 14 Years | HIV Positive TB Mortality Male > 14 Years | HIV Positive TB Mortality Female > 14 Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Global Total | 1,288,000 | 682,000 | 387,000 | 124,000 | 95,000 |
| Africa | 517,000 | 213,000 | 123,000 | 95,000 | 86,000 |
| Americas | 22,100 | 11,000 | 5,300 | 4,500 | 1,300 |
| Eastern Mediterranean | 67,950 | 38,000 | 28,000 | 1,400 | 550 |
| Europe | 26,550 | 15,000 | 7,200 | 3,500 | 850 |
| South-East Asia | 572,100 | 353,000 | 199,000 | 15,000 | 5,100 |
| Western Pacific | 83,200 | 52,000 | 25,000 | 5,200 | 1,000 |
TB deaths for “high burden” countries
Of all the countries that report their TB statistics to WHO, there are 22 countries that are referred to as the TB “high burden” countries. These countries have been prioritized at a global level since 2000. In 2015 it was decided by WHO that the lists would be revised but that there would still be three lists. Each list would contain 30 countries. There is more about this on the TB high burden countries page.
The country with the highest estimated number of deaths is India with an estimated 410,000 deaths in HIV negative adults and 11,000 in HIV positive adults. This does though need to be considered in the context of India's very large population. There is more about TB in India. South Africa has the highest estimated number of HIV positive deaths. There is more about TB in South Africa.
The following is the estimated mortality from TB for each of the 30 countries in the main high TB burden list.
| Country | HIV Negative TB Mortality | HIV Positive TB Mortality | Population (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 1,080,000 | 201,000 | 4,830 |
| Angola | 19,000 | 3,700 | 31 |
| Bangladesh | 47,000 | 190 | 161 |
| Brazil | 4,800 | 1,900 | 209 |
| Cambodia | 3,000 | 380 | 16 |
| Central African Republic | 4,800 | 3,100 | 5 |
| China | 37,000 | 2,400 | 1,430 |
| Congo | 3,000 | 2,300 | 5 |
| DPR Korea | 20,000 | 68 | 26 |
| DR Congo | 43,000 | 10,000 | 84 |
| Ethiopia | 24,000 | 2,200 | 109 |
| India | 440,000 | 9,700 | 1,350 |
| Indonesia | 93,000 | 5,300 | 268 |
| Kenya | 19,000 | 13,000 | 51 |
| Lesotho | 950 | 3,300 | 2 |
| Liberia | 2,700 | 1,000 | 5 |
| Mozambique | 21,000 | 22,000 | 29 |
| Myanmar | 21,000 | 3,700 | 54 |
| Namibia | 1,600 | 1,500 | 2 |
| Nigeria | 125,000 | 32,000 | 196 |
| Pakistan | 43,000 | 1,300 | 212 |
| Papua New Guinea | 4,500 | 250 | 9 |
| Philippines | 26,000 | 600 | 107 |
| Russian Federation | 9,200 | 1,300 | 146 |
| Sierra Leone | 2,600 | 700 | 8 |
| South Africa | 21,000 | 42,000 | 58 |
| Thailand | 9,200 | 2,300 | 69 |
| UR Tanzania | 22,000 | 16,000 | 56 |
| Viet Nam | 11,000 | 2,200 | 96 |
| Zambia | 4,800 | 13,000 | 17 |
| Zimbabwe | 1,100 | 3,500 | 14 |
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This page was last updated in December 2019.
Author Annabel Kanabus
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