Share of malaria cases worldwide 2022, by country

In 2022, Nigeria accounted for around 27 percent of all malaria cases worldwide, by far the highest share of any country. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the second-highest share of malaria cases that year with 12 percent, followed by Uganda with five percent. Malaria is an infectious disease spread by female mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, vomiting, and headache and if left untreated the disease may lead to death.

The region most impacted by malaria

In 2022, there were a total of 249,000 cases of malaria worldwide. The region of Africa accounted for 233,000 of these cases, making it by far the region most impacted by this deadly disease. In comparison, Southeast Asia reported 5,200 malaria cases in 2022, while the Americas had just 552. However, incidence rates of malaria have decreased around the world over the past couple decades. In Africa, the incidence rate of malaria decreased from 369 per 1,000 at risk in the year 2000 to 223 per 1,000 at risk in 2022. Worldwide, the incidence rate of malaria decreased from 81 to 58 per 1,000 at risk during this period.

How many people die from malaria each year?

Although rates of malaria have decreased around the world, hundreds of thousands of people still die from malaria each year, with the majority of these deaths in Africa. In 2022, around 608,000 people died from malaria worldwide, with 580,000 of these deaths occurring in Africa. However, death rates from malaria have decreased in Africa, with a rate of 64 per 100,000 at risk in the year 2015 compared to a rate of 56 per 100,000 at risk in 2022. In 2022, Nigeria accounted for around 31 percent of all malaria deaths, while 12 percent of such deaths were in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.