Key fact
233 million cases
of malaria reported in the WHO African Region in 2022, compared to 234 million cases in 2021
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Globally, an estimated 2.1 billion cases and 11.7 million deaths were averted between 2000 and 2022. Most of the cases (82%) and deaths (94%) averted were in the WHO African Region.
- In 2022, 94% (233 million) of malaria cases reported in WHO African Region, compared to 234 million cases in 2021.
- In 2022, three countries in the African Region (Ethiopia: +1.3 million; Nigeria: + 1.3 million; and Uganda: + 597 000) bore the brunt of the global malaria case increases.
- In 2022, 95% of all malaria deaths (580 000) were in the WHO African Region, compared to 593 000 cases in 2021.
- Trends in the “High burden to high impact” (HBHI) countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, India, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania) : Case numbers have largely stabilized in “High Burden to High Impact” (HBHI) since the pandemic, and the number of deaths is returning to 2019 levels. The 11 original HBHI countries represented 167 million cases (67% of the global total) and 426 000 deaths (73% of the global total), compared to 166 million cases and 430 000 deaths in 2021.
- Cabo Verde reported zero malaria cases for the fourth consecutive year in 2022 and has requested an official certification of malaria elimination from WHO (decision expected in early 2024)
Malaria remains a significant public health and development challenge. In 2022, the African Region bore the heaviest malaria burden, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths globally, representing 233 million malaria cases and 580 000 of deaths, a small reduction compared to 2021.
The biggest challenge faced by malaria endemic countries in Africa is inadequate financing for malaria prevention and treatment services for people at risk of malaria. As a result, there are communities or populations that cannot access prevention measures or treatment when needed. In some parts of sub-Saharan Africa, mosquitoes that transmit malaria have become resistant to certain older insecticides.
Some people are more vulnerable to malaria than others. Partial immunity to malaria can be developed over years of exposure. As young children have not had the opportunity to build up this partial immunity, they are particularly at risk, and make up the majority of fatal cases of malaria in the WHO African Region.
As well as having a significant human cost, the effects of malaria extend far beyond direct measures of morbidity and mortality. Malaria can reduce school attendance, productivity at work, and there is evidence that the disease can also impair intellectual development. The economic costs are also significant. Between 1965 and 1990, countries in which a large proportion of the population lived in regions with malaria experienced an average growth in per-capita GDP of 0.4% per year, whereas average growth in other countries was 2.3% per year.
Disease burden
Malaria is widespread throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world, and Africa carries a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden, both in terms of total malaria cases and malaria deaths. In 2017, there were an estimated 219 million cases of malaria worldwide. Most were in the WHO African Region, with an estimated 200 million cases, or 92% of global cases. In 2017, five countries accounted for nearly half of all malaria cases worldwide. Four of these were in Africa: Nigeria (25%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11%), Mozambique (5%), and Uganda (4%).