The rise of ‘nightmare bacteria’: antimicrobial resistance in five charts

The article highlights alarming findings from two new WHO reports showing that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) continues to rise globally while innovation in antibiotics and diagnostics lags dangerously behind. The analysis—illustrated in five key charts—shows that deaths and infections from drug-resistant bacteria are increasing, yet the antibiotic development pipeline remains weak, with few truly novel compounds and limited investment due to poor financial incentives. Rapid diagnostic tools are also scarce, hindering effective treatment and stewardship. The geographic and pathogen coverage of current R&D efforts fails to match the regions and threats most affected, underscoring a widening global gap. Without urgent coordinated action and renewed funding for innovation, AMR could cause up to 39 million deaths worldwide over the next 25 years.