What are the key statistics for global malaria over the past decade?

ANSWER
The World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report summarizes global malaria burden, including trends in mortality rates and economic impact. Here are selected figures from the 2011 report.

Estimated malaria cases, 2010

• Globally: 216 million
• Africa: 174 million
• Americas: 1 million
• Eastern Mediterranean: 10 million
• Europe: 200
• South-East Asia: 28 million
• Western Pacific: 2 million

Estimated deaths from malaria, 2010

• Globally: 655 000
• Africa: 596 000
• Americas: 1 000
• Eastern Mediterranean: 15 000
• Europe: 0
• South-East Asia: 38 000
• Western Pacific: 5 000

Figures on malaria deaths

• 91% of deaths were in Africa
• 86% of deaths were in children under 5 years of age

Population at risk

• 3.3 billion (half of the world population)

Number of countries affected by malaria

• 106

Six countries account for 60%, or 390,000, of malaria deaths

• Nigeria
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Burkina Faso
• Mozambique
• Cote d’Ivoire
• Mali

Malaria mortality rates have fallen since 2000

• Globally: by more than 25%
• Africa: by 33 %
• Americas: by 55 %
• Europe: by 99 %
• Western Pacific: by 42 %
• Between 2000 and 2010 out of 99 countries with ongoing malaria transmission 43 countries recorded decreases of more than 50% in the number of malaria cases
• another 8 countries recorded decreases of more than 25%

Required health expenditure (Abuja declaration)

• 15% of national budget

Economic cost

• Direct: USD 12 billion per year in direct losses,
• lost 1.3% of GDP growth per year for Africa.

Costs of interventions

• Long-lasting insecticidal net that lasts three years: US$ 1.39 per person per year of protection
• Course of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for an adult: US$ 0.90 – 1.40
• Course of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) for a young child: US$ 0.30 – 0.40
• Rapid diagnostic test: US$ 0.50

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