North Korea is still plagued by one of the highest rates of tuberculosis in the world, new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals, underscoring the DPRK medical system’s persistent failure to address an urgent health crisis. 

According to the WHO’s 2024 Global Tuberculosis Report, North Korea had an estimated 135,000 cases of tuberculosis in 2023, a thousand more than the year before.

With an estimated 513 cases of tuberculosis per 100,000 residents, the DPRK ranks among five countries with the highest rate of the disease, along with the Central African Republic, Gabon, Lesotho, Myanmar and the Philippines.