NEW DELHI: India continues to be the epicenter of malaria transmission in the WHO South-East Asia Region, responsible for 73.3% of all estimated cases and nearly 89% of malaria-related deaths in 2024, according to the World Malaria Report 2025. Despite the region witnessing one of the world’s sharpest declines in malaria cases, India remains the major contributor to the global burden.
In 2024, South Asia recorded 479,000 malaria cases—a 65.7% decline since 2015—along with just 99 reported deaths. However, WHO estimates a far higher burden, with 2.7 million cases and 3,900 deaths, most of which are driven by India.
Despite this, India is making significant progress towards its goal of reducing malaria incidence by 75% by 2025, having already achieved a 70% reduction by 2024. Most districts show consistent declines in cases, although challenges remain, particularly from localized outbreaks in forest areas and cross-border transmission from neighboring Nepal.
Children under 5 account for 8.7% of malaria cases and 18% of deaths. The most prevalent strain, Plasmodium vivax, which is harder to eliminate, is responsible for nearly two-thirds of infections. The report credits India’s success to aggressive interventions, including large-scale insecticide-treated net campaigns across India, Myanmar, and Nepal; a 143% increase in rapid testing since 2015; and near-complete treatment coverage. While low-level pfhrp2/3 gene deletions were detected in India, the failure rate for key Artemisinin-based Combination Therapies (ACTs) remained below 5%, indicating continued drug efficacy.
A key achievement noted in the report is India’s exit from the “High Burden to High Impact” group in 2024, marking its transition from a high-burden country to one nearing malaria elimination in several states—a rare achievement on such a scale. Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Timor-Leste have already reached malaria-free status. However, WHO cautions that drug resistance, climate-related outbreaks, and declining international funding pose serious risks to global malaria control efforts.
Dr. Sunil Rana, a specialist at Asian Hospital, highlighted that malaria continues to thrive in India due to gaps in healthcare access, particularly in tribal and forest communities. “Longer mosquito-breeding seasons, delayed treatment-seeking, weak surveillance, and unchecked migration through border zones keep outbreaks ongoing,” he said.
