There Are Only 9 Malaria-Free Countries in Africa

Malaria ranks third in the list of diseases contributing to the burden of disease in Africa; however, it is only among the most prevalent in 33 countries out of 54 on the continent.

Global Data

In 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) published a report on malaria. The list of malaria-endemic African countries includes:

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Kenya, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Mauritania, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, South Africa, South Sudan.

The malaria-free countries in the African region are recognized as: Algeria, Egypt, Cape Verde, Lesotho, Libya, Mauritius, Morocco, Seychelles, Tunisia.

Mortality

According to WHO statistics, the highest number of malaria deaths from 2015 to 2023 was recorded (in descending order) in the DRC, Angola, and Nigeria. On average, fewer than 50 cases per year were recorded during this period in Botswana, Cape Verde, Comoros, São Tomé and Príncipe, Somalia, Chad, Eritrea, and Eswatini. In São Tomé and Príncipe and Somalia, no deaths were recorded in 2023; however, malaria remains a threat to health in both island and mainland countries.

A significant nuance of this statistic is that recorded deaths do not equal their actual number, as the cause of death is not always determined. Moreover, even without leading to death, malaria can severely hinder life. For instance, the official number of deaths recorded in Burkina Faso in 2023 is 3,300, while the estimated number of deaths from it in the country is 24,000. This places Burkina Faso and Angola on the same line in the mortality ranking, with Angola being second in Africa by this parameter.

The WHO continuously publishes fresh information about the threat of malaria infection in the Malaria Threat Map section. A large and constantly updated volume of statistical data on malaria is available on the Malaria Atlas project website. The site contains maps showing the number of diagnosed cases, mortality, and prevalence of the disease among the population.

Seasonality and Travel Advice

It is known that mosquitoes are the carriers of malaria, which require certain weather conditions to live and reproduce; therefore, malaria is characterized by seasonality. The main factor of seasonality is precipitation, although important climatic factors such as temperature and humidity also play a significant role.

Through a meta-analysis of studies on the seasonality of malaria, scientists have created a detailed map of peaks in morbidity. The article immediately acknowledges that due to statistical flaws, the study may not be sufficiently representative.

A fresh risk map for travelers can be obtained from the Wanda project website, created by the Belgian Institute of Tropical Medicine. There, detailed information about each country, including the seasonality of the disease, can also be found.

When studying data for a specific country, it is important to monitor its relevance, as global climate change significantly affects the epidemiological situation and the capabilities of the healthcare system. For example, in 2023, the incidence in Madagascar exceeded the national epidemic threshold. The crisis continues to this day and evidently affects the southern part of the country, while the north remains unexplored, as do many parts of Africa as a whole.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9fibSzvyk8Y?si=ero28NmqMs8hF5At" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>