In 2025, 869 people were diagnosed with tuberculosis. The number of patients is thus 13% higher than in 2024 and is the highest it has been since 2016. 

Rise in cases among asylum seekers

The increase in the number of people suffering from tuberculosis is largely due to the influx of people from countries where tuberculosis is prevalent. For example, 161 of the patients were asylum seekers who had been in the Netherlands for less than 6 months when they were diagnosed. This is more than double the 75 cases in 2024. 

Mandatory screening

People who enter the Netherlands from countries where tuberculosis is prevalent undergo mandatory screening for tuberculosis. This allows the disease to be detected and treated quickly and prevent other people from becoming infected. Approximately 82 percent of patients in the Netherlands in 2025 were born abroad. Most of these came from Eritrea (181), followed by Ethiopia (59) and Somalia (54).

Number of tuberculosis infections also increased

Not everyone infected with the tuberculosis bacterium is also ill. If someone has the bacterium without being sick, this is called a tuberculosis infection. The number of new tuberculosis infections in 2025 was 1,652. That is 9% more than in 2024.

Different screening policy

In recent years, an increasing number of people from those countries where tuberculosis is prevalent have been screened for tuberculosis infection. In about 10% of these people, the infection progresses and becomes tuberculosis. By detecting the infection early and treating it with medicines, the risk of illness becomes very small.

World Tuberculosis Day

On 24 March 1882, the German physician-microbiologist Robert Koch announced his discovery of the tuberculosis bacterium. One hundred years later, this day has been named World Tuberculosis Day to call attention to the fight against tuberculosis. In the Netherlands, tuberculosis can be treated well with medicines, but worldwide the disease still kills 1.5 million people per year.