NSW Tuberculosis Surveillance Report 2025: Overseas-born cases

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​On this page

  1. Residency status of overseas-born tuberculosis cases at diagnosis in NSW, 2025
  2. Years spent in Australia prior to diagnosis, overseas-born cases in NSW, 2025
  3. Reported risk factors for tuberculosis among overseas-born cases in NSW, 2025

Re​​sidency status of overseas-born tuberculosis cases at diagnosis in NSW, 2025

Visa statusNumber of casesPercentage
Permanent overseas-born Australian resident or citizen246
49%
Temporary overseas student visa
115
23%
​Temporary skilled work or business visa
55​
11%​
Temporary visitor or tourist visa
21
4%
Temporary asylum seeker or humanitarian visa 
15
3%
Other temporary visa
50
10%
​No visa (non-citizen)
3​1%​
Unknown status
2
<1%
Total507
100%

Number of NSW overseas-born cases by years lived in Australia1 prior​​ to diagnosis, 2025

Almost 44% (n=220) of cases had spent less than 5 years​ in Australia prior to diagnosis.

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This graph is interactive, hover over graph for more information.

Reporte​​​d risk factors2​ ​among overseas-born cases in NSW, 2025

The most common risk factors for overseas born cases was being born in a high risk country (97%, n=491). The 'other' risk factor category includes renal replacement therapy, dialysis or end-stage renal failure, drug and​ alcohol abuse, homelessness, residing in an ins​t​itution and silicosis. 

Risk factorsNumber of casesPercentage
Born in a high risk country3491
97%
Ever resided in a high-risk country (excluding country of birth)3​
74​15%​
​Diabetes
51​10%​
​Chest x-ray suggestive of old untreated TB
49​
10%​
​Household or close contact of TB
46​9%​
Immunosuppressive condition
29​6%​
​Previously diagnosed with TB disease
28​6%​
​Smoking
28​6%​
Ever worked in healthcare
26
5%
Immunosuppressive medication20
8%
​Undernutrition
5
1%​
Other
224​​%

Notes

  1. X axis capped at 40 years. There were 32 (6%) cases who had lived in Australia for more than 40 years prior to diagnosis.
  2. Multiple risk factors can be recorded.
  3. High risk country is those defined as countries with a TB incidence >40 cases per 100,000 population per year. For a current list of high risk countries see List of countries where tuberculosis (TB) is common.
  4. Data for this report was extracted from Notifiable Conditions Records for Epidemiology and Surveillance, NSW Ministry of Health on 26 May 2026.
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Current as at: Friday 3 July 2026
Contact page owner: Communicable Diseases