Overview
- Resistance increased across more than 40% of monitored pathogen–antibiotic pairs between 2018 and 2023, rising an estimated 5–15% per year.
- Gram-negative bacteria pose the greatest threat, with over 40% of E. coli and more than 55% of Klebsiella pneumoniae resistant to third‑generation cephalosporins, exceeding 70% in parts of Africa.
- Prevalence varies widely by region, reaching about one in three reported infections in South‑East Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean and about one in five in Africa, with lower rates in Europe and the Western Pacific.
- Carbapenem and fluoroquinolone effectiveness is eroding, narrowing options and pushing clinicians toward costly last‑resort drugs that are often inaccessible in low‑ and middle‑income countries.
- WHO’s GLASS compiled data on over 23 million confirmed infections from 104 countries, yet 48% of countries did not report in 2023, and many reporters lack reliable systems; WHO calls for high‑quality AMR and use data reporting by 2030 alongside stewardship, diagnostics and R&D incentives.