ICARS welcomes the latest Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) report from the World Health Organization (WHO), a crucial contribution to understanding and addressing the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The report presents a global analysis of antibiotic resistance prevalence and trends, drawing on data from over 23 million confirmed infections reported by 104 countries in 2023, and 110 countries between 2016 and 2023. It issues a clear and stark warning of widespread resistance to common antibiotics worldwide, with key findings revealing:
- One in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments.
- Between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance rose in over 40% of the pathogen-antibiotic combinations monitored, with an average relative annual increase of 5-15%.
- Resistance is more common and worsening in places where health systems lack the capacity to diagnose or treat bacterial pathogens.
Commending the 2025 GLASS report, ICARS’ Executive Director, Dr Sujith J. Chandy, said:
“ICARS expresses its appreciation to the World Health Organization for its continued leadership in advancing global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance and welcomes the increasing participation of countries in the GLASS initiative. The findings of the report highlight the urgent need for tailored and sustainable solutions to address the growing burden of AMR. ICARS reaffirms its commitment to supporting national efforts through the development and implementation of cost-effective, context-specific, and scalable interventions to mitigate the impact of AMR worldwide.”