Overview

• The Global antibiotic resistance surveillance report 2025 finds resistance increased in over 40% of monitored pathogen–antibiotic pairs between 2018 and 2023, with average annual rises of 5–15%.
• Gram-negative pathogens drive the threat, with more than 40% of E. coli and over 55% of Klebsiella pneumoniae in bloodstream infections resistant to third-generation cephalosporins.
• Resistance burdens are highest in WHO South-East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions at roughly one in three reported infections, with about one in five in the African Region.
• Effectiveness of carbapenems and fluoroquinolones is eroding, narrowing treatment options and pushing greater reliance on last-resort antibiotics that are costly and often unavailable in lower-income countries.
• GLASS participation reached 104 countries in 2023, yet 48% of countries did not report data and many lack reliable systems, reinforcing WHO’s call for stronger diagnostics, stewardship, One Health measures, and R&D.