India recorded the highest number of tuberculosis cases in the world last year, according to a World Health Organisation report. The Global Tuberculosis Report 2015, released on Wednesday, revealed that over 9.6 million people are estimated to have fallen ill with TB worldwide in 2014. Out of these, 23%, or around 2.2 million, were recorded in India. Indonesia and China followed, with 10% of the cases each.

The report stated that 1.5 million people across the globe died from TB in 2014 and the disease now ranks alongside HIV as a leading cause of death worldwide. Of the cases reported worldwide, 58% were in the South East Asia and Western Pacific regions. India and Nigeria accounted for about a third of global TB deaths, the report added. It also said that TB mortality has fallen 47% since 1990.

The report used data from 205 countries and territories, which accounted for 99% of the world's population.