Chronic Hepatitis B Affects Millions Worldwide – So Why Do People Know So Little About It?
Chronic hepatitis B is not something most people think about in their day-to-day lives.¹ But, globally, it remains a major health issue – and one that health leaders say is not improving fast enough.²
Chronic hepatitis B is a long-term liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus, which can increase the risk of developing severe liver damage (cirrhosis) and liver cancer.³ People can become infected with the hepatitis B virus through exposure to infected blood and other bodily fluids.² Most people do not experience any symptoms when initially infected with the hepatitis B virus, and the infection can go unnoticed for many years.²˒³
It is estimated that approximately 240 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B globally.²˒³ Yet despite the burden, the World Health Organization (WHO) states that efforts to eliminate hepatitis B as a public health threat by 2030 are currently off track.²
While tools like vaccinations, testing and treatment already exist, progress has not kept pace with what is possible.²
Challenging a lack of awareness of chronic hepatitis B
Against that backdrop, a new global online survey commissioned and funded by GSK and conducted among 5,000 general public adults across five countries suggests that one of the biggest challenges may be something much simpler: awareness.¹
Despite affecting hundreds of millions of people worldwide,² chronic hepatitis B remains out of sight for many.¹ More than eight in 10 adults surveyed say they were either unaware of chronic hepatitis or knew very little about it.¹
The lack of awareness goes beyond simply not recognising the disease name.
Many people are unclear on basic facts – from how the virus is prevented (such as through vaccination, and reducing exposure to blood and other bodily fluids that may carry the hepatitis B virus³) and if treatment is available, to how it impacts long-term health.¹
Chronic hepatitis B: a major cancer risk flying under the radar
One of the most striking findings from the survey is the gap between what is known medically about chronic hepatitis B and how it is perceived by the public.¹
Chronic hepatitis B is a leading cause of liver cancer, estimated to be the cause of around half of liver cancer cases globally.²˒⁴ Yet only approximately one in three people in the GSK survey considered it to be a high-risk factor.¹ By comparison, far more people associated lifestyle and environmental risk factors like smoking, alcohol use, obesity and air pollution with cancer.¹ Even among those who are aware of a link between chronic hepatitis B and liver cancer, the scale of the risk is often underestimated.
On average, the adults surveyed thought chronic hepatitis B accounted for around a quarter of liver cancer cases, significantly lower than current global estimates.
Why low awareness about chronic hepatitis B can delay action
Low awareness does not just affect what people know.
It also shapes how they think and what they do.
Around three in four adults surveyed said they had never been tested for hepatitis B.¹ Among adults who have never been tested, the leading barriers are simply never having considered it and not thinking they were at risk – not active refusal.¹
When something isn’t widely discussed and commonly understood, it can be harder to place in a personal context.
Increasing the visibility of chronic hepatitis B
What makes this issue more striking is that chronic hepatitis B is a disease we know a great deal about and can manage.
Vaccination, testing and treatment for hepatitis B are well established.¹ Yet globally, outcomes are not improving at the pace expected, with low treatment coverage and delayed diagnosis still contributing to rising numbers of deaths.¹
The WHO’s latest assessment suggests that the gap today is less about whether solutions exist, and more about how consistently they are used in practice, and how much priority is given to addressing the condition by healthcare decision makers, including policymakers.
Closing that gap may depend, in part, on making the condition feel more visible and more relevant to people’s lives.¹
Making hepatitis B part of the conversation
Chronic hepatitis B is too often overlooked, with consequences that can be serious for individuals, families and communities.¹˒² Greater awareness can help change that.
Breaking the chain starts by breaking the silence.
By talking more openly, understanding whether testing may be relevant, and knowing how to help protect yourself and others, we can take an important first step.
Because when something becomes part of the conversation, it becomes easier to recognise when it matters.
Talk.
Test.
Protect.
To learn more about living with chronic hepatitis B, read https://www.gsk.com/en-gb/behind-the-science-magazine/living-with-chronic-hepatitis-b/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Natalia’s story on GSK.com.
References:
- GSK Global Chronic Hepatitis B Awareness 2026 Survey, data on file.
- World Health Organization.
Global hepatitis report 2026.
Available at:
https://www.who.int/teams/global-hiv-hepatitis-and-stis-programmes/hepatitis/reports/global-hepatitis-report-2026. Last accessed: July 2026. - World Health Organization.
Hepatitis B. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hepatitis-b. Last accessed: July 2026.
- Rumgay H et al.
Global burden of primary liver cancer in 2020 and predictions to 2040.
J Hepatol. 2022;77:1598–1606. doi: 10.1016/j.jhep.2022.08.021.