Key statistics
WHO Alliance for the Global Elimination of Trachoma: progress report on elimination of trachoma, 2022
Data to inform these messages are derived from the GET2020 database and the WHO Weekly Epidemiological Review annual updates on trachoma. ICTC strongly encourages its membership and all trachoma stakeholders to utilize these figures for consistency of messaging.
Trachoma is the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness and one of 21 neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that affect over one billion of the world’s poorest people - Source: WHO
115.7 million people live in trachoma endemic areas - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
Trachoma is responsible for the visual impairment or blindness of about 1.9 million people - Source: World Report on Vision, 2019
18 countries have been validated by WHO as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem (Benin, Cambodia, China, The Gambia, Ghana, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malawi, Mali, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Togo, Vanuatu) - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record*
4 countries may require interventions but in which the necessary investigations in suspected trachoma-endemic areas have not yet been completed – Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
40 countries are known to require interventions - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
The estimated number of individuals with trachomatous trichiasis, the stage of trachoma that can cause blindness, reduced by 78% from 7.6 million in 2002 to 1.5 million in 2023. - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
In 2022, 32.8 million people received antibiotics for trachoma. - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
Nigeria has reduced its at risk population from 21.8 million in 2016 to 3.7 million people in 2023 - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
Ethiopia, which carries 52% of the global burden of trachoma, has reduced its at risk population from 74 million in 2016 to 64 million people in 2023 - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
Women are 1.8 times more likely to require surgery than men to treat trachomatous trichiasis, the stage of trachoma that can cause blindness - Source: WHO Weekly Epidemiological Record
*Iraq was validated as having eliminated trachoma as a public health problem on 31 July 2023 - Source: WHO