Chronic hepatitis B can remain undiagnosed for years, so diagnosis is a crucial step between infection and effective care. Country data from the World Health Organization (WHO) show very large differences in the share of people estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B who have been diagnosed. This article uses the latest country observations in the WHO Global Health Observatory to examine the size of those gaps, explain what the indicator actually measures, and highlight the cautions needed when comparing countries.
The dataset contains the latest available observation for 100 countries and areas. Ninety-three observations are from 2024, while the remaining seven range from 2004 to 2025. That means the figures are best treated as a comparison of the latest available national observations rather than a perfectly synchronized ranking for a single year.
Table of Contents
What does WHO hepatitis B diagnosis coverage measure?
WHO defines diagnosis coverage as the proportion of people with chronic hepatitis B who have been diagnosed. The numerator is the number of people reported with chronic HBV infection through health-care facilities, laboratories or related reporting systems. The denominator is an estimate of the population living with chronic infection, derived from modelling or biomarker surveys.
This distinction matters. A high diagnosis-coverage value does not mean hepatitis B is uncommon in a country. It means a larger share of the population estimated to be infected has been identified. A low value does not, by itself, prove that the country has a higher prevalence. Testing access, surveillance, reporting completeness and the method used to estimate the infected population can all affect the indicator.
The 2024 median was 9.11%
For a cleaner same-year comparison, the 93 countries and areas with 2024 observations can be analyzed separately. Their median diagnosis coverage was 9.11%. Forty-eight of the 93 observations were below 10%, and 37 were below 5%. At the other end of the distribution, 17 were at or above 50%.
| 2024 diagnosis coverage | Countries/areas | Share of 93 observations |
|---|---|---|
| 50% or higher | 17 | 18.3% |
| Below 10% | 48 | 51.6% |
| Below 5% | 37 | 39.8% |
| Below 1% | 12 | 12.9% |
The simple mean for the 2024 observations was about 26.09%, far above the median because a number of countries were reported near or above 100%. This wide gap between the mean and the median is a useful reminder that the distribution is highly uneven and that a single average can hide very different national situations.
These unweighted country statistics should not be confused with WHO’s global population estimate. WHO’s hepatitis B fact sheet states that, as of 2024, about 65 million people, or 27% of the estimated population living with hepatitis B, were aware of their infection status. A global estimate weights countries by the number of people affected, while the median above gives every reporting country the same weight.
Countries with high and low reported coverage
Among 2024 observations, Kiribati was reported at 114.70% and Rwanda at 100.38%. Bermuda, Belize, Azerbaijan, Cuba, the Cook Islands, Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania, Guyana, Palau, Brunei Darussalam and Benin were recorded at 100%. Honduras followed at 90.63%, while Switzerland was at 65.83%, Mongolia at 62.56% and New Zealand at 55.56%.
At the low end, Sri Lanka was reported at 0.05%, Madagascar at 0.30%, Malawi at 0.42%, Zimbabwe at 0.49%, Nigeria at 0.52%, Sierra Leone at 0.53%, Ecuador at 0.57%, Bangladesh at 0.62%, Iraq at 0.65% and Ghana at 0.89%. These very low values point to potentially large diagnosis gaps, but the figures should not be used as a stand-alone score of an entire health system.
| Country/area | Observation year | Diagnosis coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Kiribati | 2024 | 114.70% |
| Rwanda | 2024 | 100.38% |
| Honduras | 2024 | 90.63% |
| Switzerland | 2024 | 65.83% |
| Mongolia | 2024 | 62.56% |
| Sri Lanka | 2024 | 0.05% |
| Madagascar | 2024 | 0.30% |
| Nigeria | 2024 | 0.52% |
| Bangladesh | 2024 | 0.62% |
| Ghana | 2024 | 0.89% |
Why can diagnosis coverage exceed 100%?
Values above 100% are the most important technical caution in this dataset. They should not be interpreted literally as more than every infected person being diagnosed. WHO’s measurement method divides a reported number of diagnosed people by an estimated infected population. Because the numerator and denominator can come from different reporting and estimation processes, the reported count can exceed the modelled or survey-based estimate of the infected population.
For that reason, it is better to preserve the original value rather than cap it at 100%, while clearly explaining what it represents. An observation above 100% can be a signal of inconsistency between case reporting and the estimated denominator. It should not automatically be treated as proof of perfect diagnosis coverage or as a conventional percentage with a hard upper bound.
South Korea’s latest observation was 67.95% in 2023
The latest observation included for the Republic of Korea is 67.95% in 2023. Australia is also represented by a 2023 observation at 68.77%, while Canada’s latest included figure is 66.03% from 2021 and Japan’s is 102.78% from 2020. Brazil and Thailand have 2025 observations at 30.38% and 26.00%, respectively.
These mixed observation years are a reason to avoid presenting the full 100-country dataset as a strict league table. South Korea’s value can be described as relatively high among the latest available national observations, but it should not be labeled a precise 2024 rank because its underlying observation is from 2023.
Why diagnosis coverage matters
Diagnosis is only one part of the hepatitis B care pathway, but it is a necessary one. WHO notes that hepatitis B cannot reliably be distinguished from other viral hepatitis infections on clinical grounds alone, so laboratory confirmation is essential. Once infection is identified, people may need assessment of liver disease, evaluation for antiviral treatment and long-term follow-up.
The 2024 WHO hepatitis B guidelines were designed in part to reduce barriers to testing and treatment through simplified and expanded recommendations. That makes diagnosis coverage useful as an early indicator of whether health systems are finding people who are living with infection. It does not, however, show whether everyone diagnosed is linked to care or receives treatment when indicated. Those later steps need separate indicators.
How to read the country figures responsibly
- The 100 latest observations do not all refer to the same year; 93 are from 2024.
- Diagnosis coverage uses an estimated infected population as the denominator, so it is not the same as hepatitis B prevalence.
- Values above 100% can arise when reported diagnoses exceed the estimated infected population and should not be interpreted literally.
- An unweighted median across countries is not the same as a global estimate weighted by the number of people living with hepatitis B.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does chronic hepatitis B diagnosis coverage mean?
WHO defines it as the proportion of people estimated to be living with chronic HBV infection who have been diagnosed. The reported number diagnosed is divided by an estimated infected population.
Why do some countries have values above 100%?
The numerator is based on reported diagnoses while the denominator is an estimated infected population. Differences in reporting and estimation can produce a value above 100%, so it should not be interpreted as a literal share greater than the entire infected population.
What is the latest diagnosis-coverage value for South Korea?
The Republic of Korea is represented by a 2023 observation of 67.95%. Because most other observations are from 2024, it should not be treated as a precise 2024 rank.
What was the typical level among countries with 2024 data?
Among the 93 countries and areas with 2024 observations, the median was 9.11% and 48 were below 10%. This is an unweighted country distribution, not the global population-weighted diagnosis estimate.
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Sources
- WHO Global Health Observatory: chronic hepatitis diagnosis coverage indicator
- WHO Hepatitis B fact sheet
- WHO guidelines for prevention, diagnosis, care and treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection
- WHO Global hepatitis report 2026
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