Communicable Diseases
Malaria Rate by Country 2026
Malaria Rate via World Bank
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- Data tabulate reported deaths from malaria per country per year. It is possible that additional malaria-related deaths occurred, but were either unreported or assigned a different cause of death.
Snapshot
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According to 2022 data, the highest malaria rates are concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, led by Benin (383.45/1K) and Burkina Faso (353.68/1K).
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Several countries have near-zero malaria incidence, including Vietnam (0.01/1K), the Dominican Republic (0.05/1K), and Mexico (0.06/1K).
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Dozens of countries across Europe, the Western Pacific, and the Americas have been certified malaria-free by the WHO.
Malaria is a severe disease caused by a plasmodium parasite and transmitted to humans through infected mosquitos. Its symptoms are similar to the flu and include a headache, chills, and a high fever. The severity of the disease depends on the specific parasite. In some cases, the disease can cause death. However, the disease is often preventable and treatable.
Malaria is more common in some countries than others. Tropical locations tend to support mosquito life and the development of the parasite. Improved sanitation and medical treatments can stop or significantly slow the transmission rate; hence, wealthier and more developed nations tend to have fewer malaria cases.
Malaria Incidence Rate Definition The estimated number of malaria cases per 1,000 people at risk in a given year (World Bank).
Countries With the Highest Malaria Rates
About 90 percent of the world’s malaria cases occur in Africa, and about 96 percent of malaria deaths occur there. The most recent data of 2022 reveals that the countries with the highest malaria incidence are overwhelmingly concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa, where transmission remains persistent year-round.
Benin recorded the highest malaria rate globally at 383 cases per 1,000 people, followed closely by Burkina Faso (353.7) and Mali (353.6). Several neighboring countries also reported extremely high incidence, including Liberia (349.5), Mozambique (316.7), Guinea (315.3), and the Central African Republic (310.6).
These figures reflect climate conditions as well as ongoing challenges related to healthcare access, mosquito control, and timely treatment—factors that continue to drive malaria transmission in the hardest-hit regions.
Countries With the Lowest Malaria Rates
At the other end of the spectrum, malaria rates are extremely low in countries where effective mosquito control, strong healthcare systems, and sustained elimination efforts have largely interrupted transmission. In many of these places, malaria is now rare or close to eradicated.
Vietnam reported the lowest malaria rate in the dataset at just 0.01 cases per 1,000 people, followed by the Dominican Republic (0.05) and Mexico (0.06). Other countries with similarly low rates include South Korea (0.11), the Philippines (0.12), Guatemala (0.14), and Ecuador (0.15).
These low rates reflect coordinated public health strategies, such as insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor spraying, early diagnosis, and access to treatment. These can dramatically reduce malaria transmission, even in regions where the disease was once widespread.
Countries Certified as Malaria-Free
Several countries are malaria-free, according to the World Health Organization. Several Western Pacific and European countries were among the first to be certified malaria-free. For example, Austria, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have been malaria-free since at least 1963.
The first Western Pacific countries certified were the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, and Tonga, also in 1963. The United States became malaria-free in 1970 and Canada in 1965. Countries are joining the malaria-free list continually. Azerbaijan, Belize, and Tajikistan were certified as malaria-free by the WHO in 2023.
