Global malaria cases are rising again, the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report shows. The surge raises concerns over drug resistance and stalled progress. In 2024, around 282 million people were infected worldwide, 9 million more than in 2023. The disease caused approximately 610,000 deaths, with children under five among the most vulnerable.
The burden remains heavily concentrated in Africa, which accounts for 94–95% of cases and deaths. In the WHO South-East Asia Region, India reported the highest numbers, contributing 73% of cases and nearly 89% of deaths.
Experts point to several causes. Resistance to artemisinin-based drugs, the main malaria treatment, has appeared in multiple countries. Mosquitoes are also becoming resistant to insecticides used in bed nets and indoor sprays, weakening traditional prevention tools. Funding shortfalls have further hindered malaria control. In 2024, global investment reached only $3.9 billion, far below the $9.3 billion needed.
Other factors include climate change, rapid population growth, humanitarian crises, and the spread of mosquito species such as Anopheles stephensi into urban areas, increasing transmission risks.
Despite these challenges, progress continues. WHO estimates that in 2024 alone, vaccines, improved nets, and preventive treatments prevented 170 million cases and 1 million deaths. Currently, 47 countries and one territory are malaria-free, including Egypt and Timor-Leste.
WHO warns, however, that global progress has plateaued since 2015, putting the 2030 malaria elimination target at risk. The agency urges governments and donors to boost funding, accelerate next-generation vaccines and advanced mosquito control, and strengthen disease surveillance to detect drug-resistant strains early.
The coordinated global action remains vital. Without it, malaria could return as a major killer, undoing decades of hard-won progress.
