Efforts to eliminate hepatitis are making gains, but more action is needed to meet the 2030 targets

Global efforts to combat viral hepatitis are making measurable progress in reducing infections and deaths, but the disease remains a major global health challenge, according to the new World Health Organization (WHO). report announced today at the World Hepatitis Summit.

Viral hepatitis B and C – the two infections responsible for 95% of hepatitis-related deaths worldwide – claimed 1.34 million lives in 2024, according to the latest data. At the same time, transmission continues, with more than 4,900 new infections each day, or 1.8 million each year.

The Global Hepatitis Report 2026 documents significant progress since 2015. The annual number of new hepatitis B infections fell by 32% and hepatitis C-related deaths fell by 12% globally. Hepatitis B prevalence among children under the age of five also decreased to 0.6%, with 85 countries meeting or exceeding the 2030 target of 0.1%.

These achievements reflect the impact of sustained, coordinated global and national action following the adoption by Member States of the WHO’s viral hepatitis elimination targets at the World Health Assembly in 2016. However, the report warns that current rates of progress are insufficient to achieve all elimination targets by 2030, highlighting the urgent need to accelerate prevention, testing and treatment efforts worldwide.

“Countries around the world are showing that eliminating hepatitis is not a pipe dream, it is possible with sustained political commitment, supported by reliable domestic funding,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “At the same time, this report shows that progress is too slow and uneven. Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems and unequal access to care. While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, an urgent increase in prevention, diagnosis and treatment is needed if the world is to meet the 2030 targets.”

Global burden and response gaps

Updated WHO estimates indicate that 287 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infection in 2024.

That year, 0.9 million people were newly infected with hepatitis B. The African region of the World Health Organization accounts for 68% of new hepatitis B infections, but only 17% of newborns in the region received hepatitis B vaccination at birth.

An additional 0.9 million hepatitis C infections were reported in 2024. Injecting drug users accounted for 44% of new infections, highlighting the urgent need for stronger harm reduction services and safe injection practices.

Of the 240 million people with chronic hepatitis B in 2024, less than 5% were receiving treatment. Only 20% of people with hepatitis C have been treated since 2015, when a new 12-week treatment became available with a cure rate of around 95%.

As a result of limited access to prevention and care, an estimated 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240,000 from hepatitis C in 2024. Liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma were the leading causes of hepatitis-related deaths. A large proportion of hepatitis B-related deaths occurred in the African and Western Pacific regions.

Ten countries – Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Philippines, South Africa and Vietnam – are responsible for 69% of hepatitis B-related deaths worldwide in 2024. Hepatitis C-related deaths are more geographically dispersed. In 2024, ten countries accounted for 58% of the global total: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Russian Federation, South Africa, the United States, and Vietnam.

Proven solutions

Despite these challenges, progress in countries such as Egypt, Georgia, Rwanda and the United Kingdom shows that eliminating hepatitis as a public health problem is achievable with sustained commitment and investment.

Very effective tools are already available:

• hepatitis B vaccine protects more than 95% of vaccinated persons from acute and chronic infections;
• long-term antiviral treatment of hepatitis B can help effectively manage chronic infection and prevent serious liver disease; and
• short-term curative therapy of hepatitis C which lasts 8-12 weeks can cure more than 95% of infections.

“The data show that progress is possible, but also reveal where we are lagging. Every missed diagnosis and untreated infection caused by chronic viral hepatitis is a preventable death,” said Dr Tereza Kasaeva, Director of the WHO Division of HIV, Tuberculosis, Hepatitis and Sexually Transmitted Infections. “States must more quickly integrate hepatitis treatment services for people living with hepatitis B and C into primary health care and reach the most affected communities.”

The report identifies priority actions to accelerate the elimination of hepatitis as a threat to public health. These include expanding treatment for chronic hepatitis B infection, particularly in the African and Western Pacific regions of the World Health Organization, and expanding access to treatment for hepatitis C in the Eastern Mediterranean region of the World Health Organization.

It also calls for stronger political commitment and funding, improved hepatitis B vaccination coverage at birth, and expanded antiviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HBV infection, particularly in the WHO African Region. In addition, the report highlights the need to improve injection safety in both healthcare settings and community practice, including through strengthening harm reduction services for injecting drug users.