The most important use of our maps is to visualize the extent of the malaria problem today at global, regional or national scales.
The maps can also be used to count the number of people at risk in each country and, in increasingly complicated ways, estimate the number of malaria cases expected each year. These numbers can in turn be used to calculate how many people need to be protected with insecticide treated nets and how much drug is needed to treat the disease.
The international community has made substantial commitments to controlling malaria and defined specific action targets for specific dates. Having maps can help donors evaluate whether their existing allocation of resources is fair. Through time, maps can also help monitor progress toward control targets. Because the malaria situation changes, our maps require regular update and this site will always direct you to the most recent maps available.
The Malaria Atlas Project provides malaria maps showing:
- The borders between malaria-free and malaria risk areas, and areas of unstable malaria transmission where the number of annual malaria cases is less than 1 per 10,000 of the population (see Spatial Transmission Limits)
- Fine-scale variation in risk within areas of stable malaria transmission, where the number of annual malaria cases is greater than 1 per 10,000 of the population (see Malaria Endemicity)