Global Prevalence of Chronic HBV Infection

Although prevalence is decreasing in many countries, the burden of infection remains high, especially in the African and Western Pacific regions.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is associated with liver cancer and cirrhosis. To assess its worldwide prevalence, WHO-supported investigators estimated the national, regional, and global rates of chronic HBV infection using studies published between 1965 and 2013. They excluded studies that lacked HBV surface antigen seroprevalence data or involved only high-risk populations. They used 2010 population estimates to extrapolate the number of people infected.

An estimated 248 million individuals globally (3.61%) are living with chronic HBV infection. However, infection is concentrated in low-resource settings: Endemicity is highest in the African and Western Pacific regions (8.83% and 5.26%, respectively). In individual countries, pr…

Reviewing Author

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Mary E. Wilson, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardOneHealthTrust (formerly Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics, and Policy); Global Health Institute, University of Wisconsin

RoyaltiesUpToDate

Editorial BoardsJournal of Travel Medicine

Global Prevalence of Chronic HBV Infection

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Reviewing Author