According to the World Malaria Report 2025, global progress in reducing malaria deaths has fallen far off track. In 2024, there were 610,000 deaths, more than triple the global target. Antimalarial drug resistance, extreme weather events, and global conflict continue to threaten progress, while funding for malaria has not kept pace with need.
On World Malaria Day 2026, the global community is reminded that ending malaria is within reach. The theme, “Driven to End Malaria: Now We Can. Now We Must,” reflects both the progress made and the urgency to act.
Over the past two decades, millions of lives have been saved through expanded access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. New tools, including vaccines and improved mosquito nets, are strengthening the response. Yet malaria continues to place a heavy burden on communities, particularly in Africa which carries the highest burden, while significant challenges persist across parts of Asia and the Pacific, where children remain most at risk. Progress is slowing, not because solutions are lacking, but because access, funding, and political commitment remain uneven.
DCNGO Delegation Member Wato Joseph shared his story with us… “I survived malaria but the four year old in the hospital bed next to me wasn’t so lucky. Malaria still kills a child every two minutes. Not because there is no cure, but because of a lack of access. We are not asking you to save the world, just not to look away. A collective effort is needed, especially for our children. Because no mother should have to mourn a child that a piece of cloth could have protected. Let’s protect the cure and place communities first by funding health.”
For the Developing Country NGO (DCNGO) Delegation, communities are central to the response. Community health workers and civil society organizations play a critical role in delivering services, building trust, and ensuring that interventions reach those most in need.
At the same time, the global malaria response faces a significant funding gap, threatening to reverse gains. Innovation must be matched with equitable access, and investments must prioritize community-led and people-centred approaches.
Despite significant investments in prevention, gaps remain between tools delivered and tools used. In many high-burden countries, around 80–90% of households may own or receive mosquito nets, yet only about 60–70% of the population actually sleeps under them. Evidence from multiple malaria surveys shows a consistent gap between access and use, demonstrating that delivery alone is not enough, community engagement, trust, and sustained support are critical to impact.
The tools to end malaria exist. The question is whether the global community will choose to deliver them equitably and at scale. World Malaria Day is a call to act. Ending malaria is possible, but only with sustained commitment, increased financing, and a focus on equity.
As highlighted by Peter Sands, emerging challenges such as conflict are reshaping the malaria landscape, making the response more complex and more urgent.
Now we can. Now we must.
Take a look at some excellent tools this World Malaria Day: GFAN’s World Malaria Day Advocates’ Toolkit for GC8 including social media toolkits from our partners, including the Global Fund, CS4ME, Target Malaria and RBM Partnership to raise awareness.