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WHO / Blink Media - Cindy Liu
Malaria transmission occurs in 85 countries across five WHO regions. Since 2015, the WHO European Region has been free of malaria.
According to the World Malaria Report 2020, there were 241 million cases of malaria globally in 2020 (uncertainty range 218–269 million) and 627 000 malaria deaths (uncertainty range 583–765 thousand). Malaria case incidence reduced from 81 in 2000 to 59 in 2015 and 56 in 2019, before increasing again to 59 in 2020. Globally, malaria deaths reduced steadily over the period 2000–2019, from 896 000 in 2000 to 562 000 in 2015 and to 558 000 in 2019. In 2020, malaria deaths increased by 12% compared with 2019. The increases in malaria cases are deaths were associated with disruption to services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Malaria burden was heaviest in the WHO African Region, with an estimated 95% of cases and 96% of deaths; 80% of all deaths in this region are among children aged under 5 years.
Deaths
47 000
additional deaths in 2020 were due to service disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic
Related topics
Countries with indigenous cases in 2000 and their status by 2020
Countries with zero indigenous cases for at least three consecutive years are considered to have eliminated malaria. In 2020, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Malaysia reported zero indigenous cases for the third consecutive year, and Belize and Cabo Verde reported zero indigenous cases for the second time. China and El Salvador were certified malaria free in 2021, following four years of zero malaria cases. Source: WHO database.
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6 December 2021
World malaria report 2021
An in-depth update on global and regional malaria data and trends.
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Fact sheet
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Global Malaria Programme
The WHO Global Malaria Programme (GMP) is responsible for coordinating WHO's global efforts to control and eliminate malaria. Its work is guided by the "Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030" adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 and updated in 2021.
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