Nigeria recorded 30.9% of all global malaria deaths in 2023, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

WHO’s latest World Malaria Report 2024 on Thursday said Nigeria also accounted for nearly 40% of worldwide malaria deaths among children under five.

The international body also disclosed that globally in 2023, there were almost 263 million estimated malaria cases between lower and upper bounds of 238 million and 294 million, respectively, in 83 malaria endemic countries, including the territory of French Guiana, an increase of 11 million cases compared with 2022.”

WHO noted that between 2000 and 2019, the number of annual estimated malaria cases remained stable, varying between 227 million and 248 million across the 108 countries that were malaria endemic in 2000.

According to the WHO report, since 2020, the number of estimated malaria cases has steadily increased, with Africa (89.7%) and the Eastern Mediterranean Region (15.5%) bearing the brunt of the burden.

The main countries contributing to the increase in cases between 2022 and 2023 were Ethiopia (+4.5 million), Madagascar (+2.7 million), Pakistan (+1.6 million), Nigeria (+1.4 million) and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (+600 000).

According to WHO, malaria case incidence declined between 2000 and 2015, from 79.0 to 58.0 per 1000 population at risk. Between 2015 and 2022, incidence remained stable, while in 2023, malaria case incidence slightly increased compared with 2022, from 58.6 to 60.4 per 1000 population at risk.

“While the incidence remained similar between 2022 and 2023 in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (meaning that the increase in cases is likely due to population growth only), the estimated incidence increased by 82%, 71% and 59% in Ethiopia, Madagascar and Pakistan, respectively,” WHO noted.

WHO also noted that in 2023, 29 of the 83 countries, including the territory of French Guiana, that were malaria endemic accounted for almost 95% of malaria cases and 96% of deaths globally.

“Five countries—Nigeria (25.9%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (12.6%), Uganda (4.8%), Ethiopia (3.6%) and Mozambique (3.5%)—accounted for just over half of all cases (Fig. 2.3c).

“Four countries accounted for just over half of all malaria deaths globally: Nigeria (30.9%), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (11.3%), the Niger (5.9%) and the United Republic of Tanzania (4.3%). Nigeria accounted for 39.3% of global malaria deaths in children aged under 5 years.”

Also, WHO added that in 2023, there were 246 million cases and 569 000 deaths in the African Region, and that between 2019 and 2023, estimated malaria cases and deaths increased by 23 million and 24 000, respectively, with a peak of 598 000 estimated deaths in 2020, linked to COVID-19.