The incidence of tuberculosis – measured by the number of new cases per 100,000 people – has stabilized or begun to fall in most regions, following earlier downturns in prevalence and mortality. However, the total number of new cases was still rising slowly in 2005 due to population growth. An estimated 8.8 million new tuberculosis cases were reported in 2005, 7.3 million of which were in sub-Saharan Africa and the four Asian regions. A total of 1.6 million people died of tuberculosis in 2005, including 195,000 people infected with HIV.

While the incidence of tuberculosis increased dramatically in sub-Saharan Africa and in countries of the CIS throughout the1990s, it had levelled off in both regions by 2005.