The WHO report highlights major progress in the global fight against hepatitis B and C, which together account for about 95% of all hepatitis-related deaths worldwide. Despite these gains, the diseases still caused around 1.34 million deaths in 2024, while new infections continue at an estimated 1.8 million annually, or more than 4,900 cases each day.
Hepatitis B is a viral infection that attacks the liver and can be transmitted through infected body fluids or from mother to child. It may become chronic, increasing the risk of severe complications such as liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis C also affects the liver and spreads mainly through infected blood, often linked to unsafe injections, needle sharing, or unscreened transfusions.
The 2026 Global Hepatitis Report shows meaningful progress since 2015, including a 32% reduction in new hepatitis B infections and a 12% decline in hepatitis C-related deaths. Hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has dropped to 0.6%, with 85 countries already meeting or exceeding the 2030 target. However, WHO notes that current progress is still not sufficient to achieve global elimination goals by 2030.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized that elimination is achievable but requires faster action. He highlighted that many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems, and unequal access to healthcare, even though effective tools for prevention and treatment already exist.
Around 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C in 2024. The African Region accounted for the majority of new hepatitis B infections, yet vaccination coverage for newborns remains low. Hepatitis C infections are also driven significantly by unsafe injection practices, particularly among people who inject drugs.
Treatment coverage remains very low, with fewer than 5% of people with hepatitis B receiving care and only 20% of hepatitis C patients treated since effective cures became available. This treatment gap contributes to high mortality, with about 1.1 million deaths from hepatitis B and 240,000 from hepatitis C in 2024, largely due to liver-related complications.
The burden of hepatitis deaths is concentrated in a small number of countries across Asia and Africa, although hepatitis C-related deaths are more widely distributed globally. This uneven impact highlights persistent gaps in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment access across regions.
WHO stresses that proven tools already exist to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, including an effective hepatitis B vaccine, long-term antiviral treatment, and curative hepatitis C therapies that can achieve over 95% success rates. However, these tools are not reaching all populations equally.
The report calls for urgent action, including stronger political commitment, increased financing, expanded vaccination coverage, improved treatment access, and better integration of hepatitis services into primary healthcare. It also emphasizes improving injection safety and strengthening harm reduction services, especially for high-risk populations.
Overall, WHO concludes that while progress is clear, faster and more coordinated global action is essential to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030.
