Where does malaria occur and who is at risk?

In today’s world, about 3 billion people - mostly living in the world’s poorest countries - are permanently at risk of malaria. In the past, malaria was widespread in Europe too, and even occurred in countries such as Finland. In the last 100 years, however, malaria has been eliminated in countries with temperate climates.

Today malaria can be found throughout the tropical and sub-tropical zones, such as Sub-Saharian Africa, South East Asia, Central and South America, and causes more than 500 million acute cases and at least two million deaths per year.