The impact of malaria is not only felt in terms of the human suffering and death it causes, but also by the significant economic cost and burden – to both families/ households and national economies. Malaria slows economic growth and development and perpetuates the vicious cycle of poverty.
In 2020, an estimated 627,000 people died of malaria—most were young children in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria occurs mostly in poor tropical and subtropical areas of the world. In many of the countries affected by malaria, it is a leading cause of illness and death. In areas with high transmission, the most vulnerable groups are young children, who have not developed immunity to malaria yet, and pregnant women, whose immunity has been decreased by pregnancy. The costs of malaria – to individuals, families, communities, nations – are enormous. According to the 2021 World Malaria Report:
Nearly half the world’s population lives in areas at risk of malaria transmission in 87 countries and territories. In 2020, malaria caused an estimated 241 million clinical episodes, and 627,000 deaths. An estimated 95% of deaths in 2020 were in the WHO African Region.
Malaria imposes substantial costs to both individuals and governments.
Costs to individuals and their families include purchase of drugs for treating malaria at home; expenses for travel to, and treatment at, dispensaries and clinics; lost days of work; absence from school; expenses for preventive measures; and expenses for burial in case of deaths.
Costs to governments include maintenance, supply and staffing of health facilities; purchase of drugs and supplies; public health interventions against malaria, such as insecticide spraying or distribution of insecticide-treated bed nets; lost days of work with resulting loss of income; and lost opportunities for joint economic ventures and tourism.
Direct costs (for example, illness, treatment, premature death) have been estimated to be at least US $12 billion per year. The cost in lost economic growth is many times more than that.