Leprosy is diagnosed worldwide, with males making up 65–70% of newly detected cases each year globally. Thickened, tender peripheral nerves are reported in about 50–70% of people with the disease, and skin lesions can cause sensory loss—especially in tuberculous forms. Immune response differs by type: tuberculoid leprosy shows strong cell-mediated immunity, while lepromatous leprosy has weak cell-mediated immunity with a high bacillary load. This page covers symptoms, geographic burden, and WHO multidrug therapy regimens, with cure rates exceeding 95%.
Key Takeaways
- Tuberculoid leprosy (TT) shows strong cell-mediated immunity
- Lepromatous leprosy (LL) features weak cell-mediated immunity with high bacillary load
- Hypopigmented or reddish skin patches with sensory loss are hallmark of tuberculous leprosy
- Males account for 65-70% of new leprosy cases detected annually worldwide
- Females represent 30-35% of new leprosy cases globally
- Children under 15 years comprise about 10% of new leprosy cases in endemic areas
- In 2022, globally, there were 175,786 new leprosy cases detected, representing a 3% decrease from 2021
- India accounted for 59.2% of global new leprosy cases in 2022 with 104,851 cases
- Brazil reported 26,452 new leprosy cases in 2022, second highest globally
- Since 1985, over 250 million leprosy patients treated globally
- Leprosy elimination goal (<1/10,000 prevalence) achieved in 49/49 priority countries by 2000
- Norway had world's highest leprosy prevalence in 19th century, up to 1/700
- Multidrug therapy (MDT) for paucibacillary leprosy consists of dapsone and rifampicin for 6 months
- Multibacillary MDT includes dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine for 12 months
- Cure rate with WHO MDT exceeds 95% for both PB and MB leprosy
In 2022, new leprosy cases fell 3% worldwide, and WHO multidrug therapy cures over 95%.
Related reading
01 · Category
Clinical Manifestations26 stats
01
Tuberculoid leprosy (TT) shows strong cell-mediated immunity
02
Lepromatous leprosy (LL) features weak cell-mediated immunity with high bacillary load
03
Hypopigmented or reddish skin patches with sensory loss are hallmark of tuberculous leprosy
04
Thickened, tender peripheral nerves are present in 50-70% of leprosy cases
05
Nasal stuffiness and epistaxis occur in 60-80% of lepromatous cases
06
Leonine facies develops in advanced lepromatous leprosy due to facial infiltration
07
Ulnar nerve is most commonly affected (50-60% of cases), followed by posterior tibial
08
Claw hand deformity results from intrinsic muscle paralysis in median/ulnar nerves
09
Foot drop occurs due to common peroneal nerve involvement
10
Lagophthalmos from facial nerve damage leads to corneal ulceration in 10-20%
11
Type 1 reaction (reversal reaction) affects 20-30% of borderline cases, causing acute neuritis
12
Erythema nodosum leprosum (ENL, Type 2 reaction) occurs in 10-20% of multibacillary patients
13
Lucio phenomenon is a severe vasculonecrotic reaction in diffuse lepromatous leprosy
14
Testicular atrophy and gynecomastia in lepromatous leprosy due to bacillary invasion
15
Madarosis (loss of eyebrows/lashes) in 50% of lepromatous cases
16
Plantar ulcers develop in 20-30% due to anesthesia and trauma
17
Saddle nose deformity from cartilage destruction in 30-40% lepromatous cases
18
Histoid leprosy shows plaque-like lesions with high bacillary density
19
Borderline tuberculoid (BT) has few satellite lesions around main hypopigmented patch
20
Pure neuritic leprosy presents without skin lesions, only nerve thickening, 5-10% cases
21
Indeterminate leprosy is early self-limiting form with single hypopigmented macule
22
Ocular involvement includes iridocyclitis in 10% multibacillary cases
23
Renal amyloidosis complicates chronic lepromatous leprosy in 5-10%
24
Lucio leprosy variant endemic in Mexico, with irregular star-shaped ulcers
25
30% of untreated lepromatous patients develop type 2 reactions within 1 year
26
Neural pain in leprosy is neuropathic, affecting 40% with moderate-severe pain
Interpretation
Clinical Manifestations Interpretation
In clinical manifestations of leprosy, the split between tuberculoid and lepromatous forms is reflected in sensory skin patches and strong cell mediated immunity in tuberculoid cases while lepromatous cases often show nasal stuffiness and epistaxis in 60 to 80 percent along with thickened tender peripheral nerves in 50 to 70 percent.
02 · Category
Demographics And Risk Factors26 stats
01
Males account for 65-70% of new leprosy cases detected annually worldwide
02
Females represent 30-35% of new leprosy cases globally
03
Children under 15 years comprise about 10% of new leprosy cases in endemic areas
04
Household contact with untreated leprosy patients increases risk by 5-10 times
05
Prolonged close contact (over 20 hours/week) is a key risk factor for leprosy transmission
06
Armadillos are reservoirs for M. leprae in the Americas, increasing risk for hunters
07
Genetic factors like PARK2 and LTA genes confer 2-3 fold increased susceptibility to leprosy
08
Type 1 diabetes patients have 2.4 times higher risk of leprosy
09
HIV co-infection does not significantly alter leprosy presentation but may increase multibacillary forms
10
In India, 70% of leprosy cases occur in individuals aged 15-44 years
11
Poverty is associated with 2-3 times higher leprosy incidence in low-income populations
12
Rural residents have 1.5-2 times higher leprosy detection rates than urban dwellers
13
Close blood relatives of leprosy patients have 5-10% lifetime risk of developing disease
14
Immunosuppressed individuals (e.g., on TNF inhibitors) have up to 10-fold increased leprosy risk
15
In Brazil, 60% of cases are in males aged 20-50 years
16
Migration from high-endemic areas increases leprosy risk in low-endemic regions by 3-5 times
17
Occupational exposure in healthcare workers treating leprosy patients raises risk by 1.5 times
18
Low BMI (<18.5) is associated with 1.8 times higher leprosy risk
19
Vitamin D deficiency correlates with increased leprosy susceptibility (OR 2.1)
20
Smoking increases leprosy risk by 1.7 times in endemic areas
21
Alcohol consumption is linked to 1.4-fold higher odds of leprosy
22
In endemic villages, 50-60% of cases occur in household contacts
23
Nose picking or intranasal M. leprae colonization increases transmission risk
24
Skin-to-skin contact is more significant for transmission than respiratory droplets
25
Incubation period for leprosy averages 5 years, ranging 1-20 years
26
95% of exposed individuals develop immunity without disease
Interpretation
Demographics And Risk Factors Interpretation
In the demographics and risk factors for leprosy, men account for roughly 65 to 70% of new cases worldwide and household exposure to untreated patients can raise risk by 5 to 10 times, with prolonged close contact over 20 hours per week being a key driver of transmission in endemic settings.
03 · Category
Incidence And Prevalence30 stats
01
In 2022, globally, there were 175,786 new leprosy cases detected, representing a 3% decrease from 2021
02
India accounted for 59.2% of global new leprosy cases in 2022 with 104,851 cases
03
Brazil reported 26,452 new leprosy cases in 2022, second highest globally
04
Indonesia had 21,845 new leprosy cases in 2022, third highest worldwide
05
The detection rate of new leprosy cases globally was 2.2 per million population in 2022
06
In 2021, the global prevalence of leprosy at the start of the year was 127,349 registered cases under treatment
07
Africa reported 15,208 new leprosy cases in 2022, accounting for 8.7% of global total
08
Southeast Asia region had 115,603 new cases in 2022, 65.8% of global burden
09
The Americas region detected 30,696 new leprosy cases in 2022
10
Eastern Mediterranean region had 3,393 new cases in 2022
11
Western Pacific region reported 10,281 new leprosy cases in 2022
12
Globally, 7.4% of new leprosy cases in 2022 were in children under 15 years
13
Grade 2 disability proportion among new cases was 5.5% globally in 2022
14
Multibacillary cases constituted 53.1% of new detections globally in 2022
15
Paucibacillary cases were 46.9% of new leprosy cases worldwide in 2022
16
In 2020, Nepal detected 2,463 new leprosy cases with detection rate of 8.1 per 100,000 population
17
Bangladesh reported 4,054 new cases in 2022, detection rate 2.4 per 100,000
18
Myanmar had 2,944 new cases in 2022
19
Ethiopia detected 2,135 new leprosy cases in 2022
20
Madagascar reported 2,513 new cases in 2022
21
Democratic Republic of the Congo had 1,872 new cases in 2022
22
Mozambique detected 1,787 new leprosy cases in 2022
23
Tanzania reported 1,745 new cases in 2022
24
Nigeria had 1,428 new leprosy cases in 2022
25
Angola detected 1,151 new cases in 2022
26
Sudan reported 1,042 new leprosy cases in 2022
27
Central African Republic had 806 new cases in 2022
28
Kenya detected 439 new leprosy cases in 2022
29
Uganda reported 364 new cases in 2022
30
Globally, leprosy prevalence has decreased by over 99% since 1985 due to MDT
Interpretation
Incidence And Prevalence Interpretation
From an incidence and prevalence perspective, the global picture in 2022 shows 175,786 new leprosy cases with a 3% drop from 2021, yet the case burden remains highly concentrated as India alone contributed 104,851 of the total.
04 · Category
Public Health And Historical Data19 stats
01
Since 1985, over 250 million leprosy patients treated globally
02
Leprosy elimination goal (<1/10,000 prevalence) achieved in 49/49 priority countries by 2000
03
Norway had world's highest leprosy prevalence in 19th century, up to 1/700
04
Armauer Hansen discovered M. leprae in 1873 from Norwegian patient
05
Dapsone monotherapy from 1940s reduced duration but led to resistance by 1970s
06
WHO MDT introduced in 1981, piloted in Malawi
07
Global leprosy prevalence fell from 5.2 million in 1985 to 0.2 million in 2022
08
Stigma leads to 50% diagnostic delay in endemic areas
09
India's NLEP detected 1.2 million cases since 2001
10
Brazil's FTL eliminated leprosy as public health problem in 31/27 states
11
Leprosy Sunday first observed in 1900s for awareness
12
Zero Leprosy Roadmap launched 2016 targets zero disability by 2030
13
4 million people live with leprosy-related disabilities globally
14
Annual World Leprosy Day since 1954 raises awareness
15
Contact tracing detects 20-30% of new cases in households
16
Active case finding increased detections by 15% in India 2020-2022
17
Leprosy-related suicides linked to stigma in 10-15% severe cases historically
18
Economic burden of leprosy disability $1-2 billion annually in low-income countries
19
Post-kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis can mimic leprosy clinically
Interpretation
Public Health And Historical Data Interpretation
From a public health perspective, leprosy has shifted from a huge global burden to coordinated control and near elimination, with WHO MDT launched in 1981 and by 2000 reaching the <1/10,000 prevalence goal in 49 out of 49 priority countries.
05 · Category
Treatment And Outcomes23 stats
01
Multidrug therapy (MDT) for paucibacillary leprosy consists of dapsone and rifampicin for 6 months
02
Multibacillary MDT includes dapsone, rifampicin, and clofazimine for 12 months
03
Cure rate with WHO MDT exceeds 95% for both PB and MB leprosy
04
Relapse rate after MB-MDT is 1-2% over 5-10 years
05
Rifampicin 600mg monthly is key bactericidal drug in MDT regimen
06
Dapsone resistance emerged in 20% pre-MDT era, now <1% with MDT
07
Prednisolone 40-60mg/day used for type 1 reactions, tapered over 12 weeks
08
Thalidomide 100-300mg/day for ENL, effective in 80-90% cases
09
Clofazimine 50mg daily accumulates in tissues, used for ENL maintenance
10
Single dose ROM (rifampicin, ofloxacin, minocycline) for single lesion PB leprosy, 96% success
11
Nerve function impairment improves in 70% with early steroid therapy in reactions
12
WHO provides MDT free since 1981, treating over 16 million patients
13
Deformity prevention with physiotherapy reduces disability progression by 50%
14
BCG vaccine offers 50% protection against leprosy in high-endemic areas
15
Chemoprophylaxis with single dose rifampicin reduces incidence by 57% in contacts
16
Post-exposure prophylaxis recommended for child contacts under 5 years
17
Surgical reconstruction for claw hands successful in 80% functional improvement
18
Tarsal tunnel release for posterior tibial nerve decompression
19
Rifampicin monotherapy for 3 years achieves 90% smear negativity in MB
20
Uniform MDT regimen completion rate is 85% globally
21
Azathioprine as steroid-sparing agent in chronic neuritis
22
Pain management with gabapentin effective in 60% neuropathic pain cases
23
Early MDT prevents 80% of grade 2 disabilities
Interpretation
Treatment And Outcomes Interpretation
Under Treatment And Outcomes, WHO multidrug therapy delivers over 95% cure rates for both paucibacillary and multibacillary leprosy with long term relapse of only 1 to 2% over 5 to 10 years, reflecting why adding rifampicin and clofazimine for the respective durations has driven dapsone resistance from 20% in the pre MDT era to under 1% today.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
James Okoro. (2026, February 13). Leprosy Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/leprosy-statistics
MLA
James Okoro. "Leprosy Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/leprosy-statistics.
Chicago
James Okoro. 2026. "Leprosy Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/leprosy-statistics.
Sources & references
14 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level