India among top contributors to global hepatitis deaths, WHO report shows

India is among ten countries that account for 69% of global hepatitis B-related deaths and is also among ten countries contributing to 58% of hepatitis C-related deaths worldwide, according to the latest report by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The Global Hepatitis Report 2026 places India alongside countries such as China, Nigeria, Indonesia and South Africa in both hepatitis B and C death clusters, highlighting its continued presence among high-burden nations.

Hepatitis B and C are viral liver infections, commonly spread through infected blood and bodily fluids, and can become long-term illnesses if untreated. Countries contributing to hepatitis B-related deaths include Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam, the report said. For hepatitis C, the list includes China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States and Viet Nam.

Globally, hepatitis B and C together caused 1.34 million deaths in 2024, reflecting a continued disease burden despite the availability of prevention and treatment tools, the apex global health agency said.

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What the report highlights is not only the scale of the burden but also persistent gaps in diagnosis and treatment.

An estimated 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infection in 2024, indicating the large pool of patients requiring long-term care and monitoring. At the same time, around 1.8 million new infections occur each year, showing that transmission continues even as global elimination targets approach, the report indicated.

A key concern identified in the report is the limited reach of treatment. Of the 240 million people living with chronic hepatitis B, fewer than 5% are receiving treatment, despite the availability of effective antiviral therapies.

For hepatitis C, where curative treatment exists, only 20% of people have been treated since 2015, pointing to gaps in access, diagnosis and healthcare delivery systems.

“Every missed diagnosis and untreated infection due to chronic viral hepatitis represents a preventable death,” said Tereza Kasaeva, Director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs.

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The report noted that while progress has been made in reducing infections and mortality, it remains uneven across regions and countries. Since 2015, new hepatitis B infections have declined by 32%, while hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12% globally.

“Around the world, countries are showing that eliminating hepatitis is not a pipedream… At the same time, progress is too slow and uneven,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

The report also draws attention to prevention gaps that continue to sustain transmission. It highlights the need to improve injection safety and expand harm reduction services, noting that people who inject drugs account for 44% of new hepatitis C infections globally.

At the same time, vaccination programmes have shown measurable impact. Hepatitis B vaccination has reduced prevalence among children under five to 0.6% globally, although this remains above the 2030 target of 0.1%.

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The WHO maintains that eliminating hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 remains achievable, but only with a faster scale-up of existing interventions, including testing, diagnosis and treatment.

“While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed,” Tedros said.