KDCA releases 2024 Tuberculosis Case Notification Status.
- Since peaking in 2011, TB cases have decreased by an average of 7.6% for 13th consecutive year—a total reduction of 64.5%.
- 17,944 TB cases were reported (35.2 per 100,000 population), reflecting an 8.2% decrease from the previous year.
- While the number of elderly (65+) and foreign TB patients has declined, their proportion among total cases continues to rise.
- KDCA is implementing various policies to enhance early detection and treatment of TB.

Osong, 11 April 2025 – On Monday, March 24, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) released the 2024 Tuberculosis Case Notification Status on the occasion of the 15th Tuberculosis Prevention Day. The report showed that Korea recorded 17,944 TB cases in 2024, an 8.2% decrease from the previous year.
* March 24 is designated as “Tuberculosis Prevention Day” under the Tuberculosis Prevention Act to raise public awareness of TB prevention and control. Korea has held a national commemoration event annually since 2011.
** TB cases in 2024 (17,944) include 14,412 newly diagnosed cases and 3,532 relapse/re-treatment cases.

Following the introduction of Korea’s national TB surveillance system in 2000, TB cases peaked in 2011 (50,491 cases, 100.8 per 100,000 population). Since then, the number of TB cases in Korea has declined by 64.5% over the past 13 years, with an average annual decrease of 7.6%.

Of the 17,944 TB cases reported in 2024, 10,534 cases (58.7%) occurred in individuals aged 65 and older—a 6.9% decrease from 11,309 cases in 2023. However, despite this decline in absolute numbers, the proportion of the elderly among TB cases has been increasing each year.* The TB incidence rate among those aged 65 and above (105.8 per 100,000 population) is approximately six times higher than that of individuals under 65 (18.0 per 100,000 population).
* Proportion of the elderly in TB cases: 2020 (48.5%), 2021 (51.0%), 2022 (55.4%), 2023 (57.9%), 2024 (58.7%).

Since the introduction of mandatory TB screening for long-term foreign residents from high-risk countries in 2016, the number of TB cases among foreign nationals has been gradually declining. In 2024, 1,077 TB cases were reported among foreign nationals, reflecting a 2.7% decrease from 1,107 cases in 2023.

Despite this decline, the proportion of foreign nationals among TB cases has continued to increase, rising by 0.3 percentage points year-on-year to 6.0% in 2024 *
* Proportion of foreign nationals among TB cases: 2020 (5.2%), 2021 (5.4%), 2022 (5.3%), 2023 (5.7%), 2024 (6.0%).

In 2023, KDCA established the Third National Strategic Plan for TB Control (2023–2027) to strengthen TB control policies across the entire TB cycle from prevention and diagnosis to treatment. In response to recent trends, such as the rising number of TB cases among the elderly and foreign nationals, KDCA is actively conducting TB screenings, epidemiological investigations, and patient management to ensure early detection and treatment, while also strengthening research to combat TB more effectively.


※ Please refer to attached files.