Africa hit hardest as malaria deaths rise worldwide – WHO
Global malaria deaths rose to an estimated 610,000 in 2024, with the World Health Organization (WHO) warning that Africa continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden.
According to a report published by the agency on Thursday, the continent accounts for 95% of all global malaria cases and deaths. Children under the age of five represent around 76% of the fatalities in Africa.
According to the WHO, three countries – Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), and Niger – collectively accounted for about half of malaria-related deaths in the African region. Nigeria alone represented 31.9%, followed by the DRC at 11.7%, and Niger with 6.1%.
The total number of recorded cases in the world also grew by approximately 9 million, reaching 282 million worldwide, a 3% year-on-year increase, the report said.
The WHO also highlighted the persistent funding gap undermining malaria control efforts. “In 2024, $3.9 billion was invested in the malaria response, yet it reached less than half of the 2025 funding target of $9.3 billion,” the agency stated on X.
Malaria, one of the world’s deadliest vector-borne diseases, is transmitted to humans through bites from infected mosquitoes. Symptoms can take several weeks to appear and typically include fever, chills, vomiting, and flu-like illness. If left untreated, the disease can lead to severe complications and death.
Earlier this year, an outbreak in the DR Congo resulted in 943 confirmed cases and 52 deaths, according to Dieudonne Mwamba, director general of the National Public Health Institute (INSP).
The growing number of malaria cases comes as Africa confronts another major public health crisis. In November, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the continent was experiencing its worst cholera outbreak in 25 years, with more than 300,000 confirmed and suspected cases and over 7,000 deaths recorded across the region in 2025.
