Key Takeaway:
- Nigeria and nine countries account for 70% of global hepatitis B deaths in 2024, showing a highly concentrated disease burden.
- Low vaccination and treatment access remain the main drivers of hepatitis mortality worldwide.
- Progress is visible, but current efforts are insufficient to meet the WHO’s 2030 hepatitis elimination targets.
Nigeria and nine other countries accounted for about 70 percent of global hepatitis B deaths in 2024, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, citing limited vaccination, weak health systems, and unequal access to treatment.
WHO Report Highlights Concentrated Global Burden
The World Health Organization revealed the findings in its 2026 Global Hepatitis Report, showing that hepatitis-related deaths remain heavily concentrated in a small group of countries across Africa and Asia.
According to the report, 10 countries — China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, the United States, and Vietnam — represented 58 percent of global hepatitis cases in 2024.
Hepatitis B Death occurs when the viral infection, which attacks the liver, spreads through infected body fluids or from mother to child at birth. Chronic infection greatly increases the risk of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, which are the leading causes of Hepatitis B Death worldwide.
WHO estimates that 287 million people worldwide were living with chronic hepatitis B or C infections in 2024, representing roughly three percent of the global population.
“In 2024, roughly 1.1 million people died from hepatitis B and 240,000 from hepatitis C,” the report said, adding that the infections together claimed about 1.34 million lives.
Transmission remains widespread, with about 1.8 million new infections recorded annually — or more than 4,900 new cases each day.
Low Vaccination, Treatment Gaps Drive Mortality
The WHO African Region accounted for 68 percent of new hepatitis B infections globally, underscoring major prevention gaps. Only 17 percent of newborns in the region received the recommended birth-dose vaccination.
Although about 240 million people were living with chronic hepatitis B infection in 2024, fewer than five percent received treatment, the report found.
Access to hepatitis C treatment also remains limited. Only 20 percent of infected individuals worldwide have received therapy since effective treatments became available in 2015.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said progress toward elimination goals is possible but uneven.
“Many people remain undiagnosed and untreated due to stigma, weak health systems, and inequitable access to care,” Tedros said. “While we have the tools to eliminate hepatitis as a public health threat, urgent scale-up of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment is needed.”
Health experts say improved screening, stronger immunization programs, and affordable medicines are critical to reducing deaths in high-burden countries.
Progress Seen but 2030 Targets Still at Risk
Despite ongoing challenges, the report noted measurable progress in combating viral hepatitis worldwide.
New hepatitis B infections have declined by 32 percent, while hepatitis C-related deaths have fallen by 12 percent in recent years. Hepatitis B prevalence among children under five has dropped to 0.6 percent, with 85 countries reaching or surpassing the 2030 interim target of reducing prevalence to 0.1 percent.
WHO said hepatitis B and C together account for about 95 percent of all hepatitis-related deaths globally, making them central targets of international elimination efforts adopted at the 2016 World Health Assembly.
The agency emphasized that highly effective prevention and treatment tools already exist. The hepatitis B vaccine is more than 95 percent effective at preventing infection, while long-term antiviral therapy can manage chronic disease and prevent severe liver damage.
Short-course treatments for hepatitis C lasting eight to 12 weeks can cure more than 95 percent of patients, the WHO said.
Tedros emphasized that countries have shown eliminating hepatitis is achievable, but he cautioned that current progress remains insufficient. Without accelerated action, global elimination targets by 2030 will not be met, and the risk of Hepatitis B Death will continue to rise.
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