Global Leprosy Prevalence: Latest Stats & Trends (2025)

Quick Takeaways

• In 2024, the world reported ~147,000 new leprosy cases, a 7% drop from 2020.
• Prevalence fell to 0.21 cases per 10,000 people, comfortably below the WHO elimination target of 1 per 10,000.
• India, Brazil, and Indonesia together account for 80% of all cases.
• Multi‑drug therapy (MDT) remains >95% effective, but delayed diagnosis still fuels transmission.
• WHO’s 2025‑2030 strategy focuses on early case detection, stigma reduction, and surveillance upgrades.

What is Leprosy?

When we talk about Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. The disease mainly attacks the skin, peripheral nerves, mucosa of the upper respiratory tract, and eyes, leading to skin patches, nerve damage, and sometimes severe disability if left untreated. It’s also known as Hansen’s disease, named after the Norwegian physician Gerhard Hansen who identified the causative agent in 1873. Despite its ancient reputation, modern treatment has turned leprosy from a death sentence into a curable condition.

Current Global Statistics (2024‑2025)

According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) leprosy report, the world logged 147,000 new cases in 2024, down from 158,000 in 2020. That translates to an incidence of roughly 1.9 cases per 100,000 population, a modest but steady decline.

Overall prevalence - the number of people alive who are receiving treatment - now stands at about 202,000, or 0.21 cases per 10,000 people. This is well under the WHO elimination benchmark of 1 case per 10,000, a milestone first reached in 2001 and reaffirmed in subsequent years.

Key figures:

• Global incidence (2024): 1.9/100,000
• Global prevalence (2024): 0.21/10,000
• Mortality: < 0.5% (mostly due to severe complications or co‑infection)
• Age distribution: 60% of new cases are adults aged 15‑45

Regional Hotspots

While leprosy is now rare in most high‑income nations, it remains concentrated in a few regions:

The top three countries - India (55,000), Brazil (27,000), and Indonesia (13,000) - together contribute about 80% of global notifications.

How Trends Have Shifted Over the Last Decade

Looking back at the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) estimates, leprosy incidence dropped from 3.2/100,000 in 2010 to 1.9/100,000 in 2024, a 41% reduction. The biggest gains occurred between 2010‑2016, driven by massive scale‑up of MDT and nationwide case‑finding campaigns in high‑burden nations.

However, progress slowed after 2016. Two factors explain the plateau:

1. Funding fatigue: International donors shifted priorities toward COVID‑19, malaria, and TB, cutting leprosy program budgets by ~15% from 2018‑2022.
2. Stigma and late presentation: Even with free MDT, many patients delay seeking care until nerve damage is evident, sustaining hidden transmission chains.

These dynamics underscore why the WHO launched the Leprosy Strategy 2025‑2030. The new plan aims to cut annual incidence by 50% by 2030 using three pillars: active case detection, digital surveillance, and intensified community education.

Key Drivers Behind the Numbers

Understanding why Leprosy prevalence moves the way it does helps policymakers allocate resources wisely.

Effective Treatment: Multi‑drug Therapy (MDT)

Since its WHO endorsement in 1991, MDT-combining rifampicin, dapsone, and clofazimine-has cured >95% of patients when administered correctly. The regimen’s 6‑month course (for paucibacillary cases) and 12‑month course (for multibacillary cases) ensures rapid bacterial clearance, dramatically lowering transmission risk.

Surveillance Gaps

Many low‑resource districts still rely on passive case detection. Without active outreach, asymptomatic carriers remain invisible. Mobile health apps piloted in Brazil (2022) and India (2023) have improved reporting timeliness by 30%, but coverage remains under 60% in rural hotspots.

Social Determinants

Poverty, limited access to clean water, and crowded living conditions heighten exposure to Mycobacterium leprae. Moreover, stigma can force families to hide symptoms, delaying treatment and fueling ongoing spread.

Vaccination & Prophylaxis

The BCG vaccine, originally for TB, offers ~20% protection against leprosy. Recent trials of a single‑dose rifampicin post‑exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in Nepal showed a 57% reduction in new cases among close contacts. Scaling PEP could become a game‑changer, but cost and logistics are still hurdles.

Data Sources & Reliability

Most global numbers come from WHO’s annual leprosy report, which aggregates national notifications submitted by ministries of health. Complementary data are drawn from the GBD study, which applies statistical modelling to estimate under‑reporting.

Limitations to keep in mind:

• Under‑reporting: Some endemic countries lack robust health information systems, potentially missing up to 20% of cases.
• Case definition changes: In 2018, WHO refined the clinical case definition, causing a temporary dip in reported numbers that reflected classification, not true incidence.
• Stigma bias: Social stigma can lead to self‑exclusion from health registries.

Researchers cross‑validate WHO data with independent surveys (e.g., Indian National Leprosy Eradication Programme’s active surveys) to tighten confidence intervals.

Implications for Public Health Policy

Even with < 0.5% mortality and low prevalence, leprosy remains a public health priority for three reasons:

1. Disability prevention: Untreated nerve damage causes lifelong impairment, affecting livelihoods and increasing healthcare costs.
2. Transmission reservoirs: Hidden cases sustain low‑level transmission, threatening elimination goals.
3. Human rights: Stigma violates dignity and can lead to discrimination in employment, marriage, and education.

Policy recommendations aligned with the 2025‑2030 strategy include:

• Invest in community health workers trained in skin‑lesion screening.
• Scale digital case‑reporting tools with offline capability.
• Integrate leprosy screening into routine primary‑care visits.
• Fund PEP trials in high‑risk neighborhoods.
• Launch anti‑stigma campaigns leveraging local faith leaders and schools.

Next Steps for Stakeholders

For health ministries: Review national surveillance dashboards quarterly, allocate budget for active case‑finding, and ensure MDT stockpiles are uninterrupted.

For NGOs: Partner with local clinics to provide counseling and vocational training for affected individuals.

For researchers: Focus on rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) that can detect Mycobacterium leprae DNA from skin smears within minutes.

For donors: Prioritize funding mechanisms that lock in multi‑year commitments, shielding leprosy programs from global health crises.

Frequently Asked Questions