Global malaria cases surged by 11 million in 2023, reaching an estimated 263 million, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). This increase, however, comes amid a significant funding shortfall for malaria control efforts, with only $4 billion raised, far below the $8.3 billion target set by the Global Technical Strategy for Malaria. This funding gap has hindered progress, particularly in the WHO African Region, which accounts for the majority of global cases and deaths.
Malaria claimed approximately 597,000 lives in 2023, maintaining the same death toll as in 2022. Alarmingly, 95% of these deaths occurred in the African Region, where access to essential prevention, detection, and treatment services remains limited. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasized the need for expanded investments and actions to curb the disease’s impact, especially in high-burden countries.
Despite these challenges, there have been notable achievements. As of November 2024, 44 countries and one territory had been certified malaria-free, and 25 malaria-endemic countries reported fewer than 10 cases annually—an improvement from just four in 2000. In the African Region, malaria mortality rates dropped by 16% since 2015, though the 2023 rate of 52.4 deaths per 100,000 people remains far above the 2030 target of 23 deaths.
The funding shortfall has led to a lack of essential resources like insecticide-treated nets and medicines. Compounding this issue are weak health systems, inadequate surveillance, and emerging threats such as drug and insecticide resistance. In response, health ministers from 11 high-burden African countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda, signed a declaration in 2024 to strengthen health systems, improve coordination, and address the disease’s root causes.
In a positive development, 17 countries have introduced malaria vaccines into routine childhood immunization programs, and their wider deployment in Africa is expected to save tens of thousands of lives each year. WHO also urges countries to prioritize primary healthcare and invest in robust data systems to monitor health inequalities and address the social determinants of malaria.
