Overview
- The WHO’s 2023 analysis of roughly 23 million records finds resistance rose more than 40% since 2018 across many bacteria–antibiotic pairs, with annual increases of about 5–15%.
- Highest rates are reported in Southeast Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean at about one in three infections, with Africa facing significant burdens and Europe substantially lower.
- For key bloodstream and urinary pathogens, more than 40% of E. coli and 55% of Klebsiella pneumoniae no longer respond to commonly used drugs, exceeding 70% in some African settings.
- The WHO links bacterial infections to 7.7 million deaths in 2021, including roughly 1.1 million directly attributable to antibiotic resistance.
- Officials call for stronger surveillance and diagnostics, tighter stewardship, and incentives for new antibiotics as clinicians increasingly resort to intravenous and last‑resort treatments that are costly and scarce in poorer regions.