It is estimated that 95% of these deaths occurred in the African Region of the World Health Organization (WHO), and most were among children under five.

However, wider use of new tools, including dual-ingredient networks and vaccines, helped prevent approximately 170 million cases and one million deaths in 2024, according to the WHO global report.

Seasonal malaria chemoprevention has been expanded and is now implemented in 20 countries, reaching 54 million children by 2024, an increase from approximately 0.2 million in 2012.

So far, the WHO has certified 47 countries and one territory as malaria-free.

Cabo Verde and Egypt achieved certification in 2024, and Georgia, Suriname, and Timor-Leste joined them in 2025.

The report shows that resistance to antimalarial drugs is growing and hindering the achievement of malaria elimination.

“New tools for malaria prevention give us new hope, but we still face significant challenges,” Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said.

The rising number of cases and deaths, the growing threat of drug resistance, and the impact of funding cuts threaten to reverse the progress made over the past two decades, he warned.

Reducing malaria deaths—a key goal of the Global Malaria Technical Strategy 2016–2030—remains far from being achieved.

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