What impact will climate change have on malaria?
This article explores the complex relationship between climate change and the global prevalence of malaria. While rising temperatures may increase transmission in some regions, they could simultaneously reduce it in others, making the overall impact difficult to predict.
Why it matters
Understanding these dynamics is crucial for public health officials to allocate resources effectively in the fight against a disease that kills hundreds of thousands annually.
Malaria What impact will climate change have on malaria? More than 600,000 people die from malaria every year. Will climate change make this worse? By Hannah Ritchie October 5, 2026 Browse past versions Cite this article Reuse our work freely Climate change could make a number of infectious diseases worse. I expected malaria would be one of them.
That’s concerning, given the huge global burden that it already carries: it kills almost half a million children every year.
But a more complex story emerges from the scientific literature. One where rising temperatures could actually reduce the burden of malaria in some areas, while making it worse in others.
What impact has climate change already had on malaria? Will it make the global fight against it harder or easier in the future?
These are the questions that I want to answer here.
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