Geographical distribution of falciparum malaria in the world and its relationship with the human development index (HDI): countries based on the WHO report in 2017

Malaria is one of the most serious public health issues worldwide and is still responsible for the deaths of nearly half a million individuals every year worldwide. The aim of this study is to investigate the epidemiology of the incidence of and mortality from malaria and its association with the human development index (HDI).

The highest incidence of malaria in the world was reported in 2001 (80.73 per 1000 people) and the lowest in 2017 (59.12 per 1000). The results revealed a significant reverse correlation between malaria incidence (r = −0.640, P < 0.0001) and the HDI index in 2017. The analysis of HDI decomposites with malaria incidence in 2017 demonstrated a reverse and significant correlation between malaria incidence and gross national income per 1000 capita (r = −0.365, P < 0.0001), mean years of schooling (r = −0.477, P < 0.0001), life expectancy at birth (r = −0.694, P < 0.0001) and expected years of schooling (r = −0.458, P < 0.0001).

Given the reverse correlation between malaria incidence and HDI, a greater emphasis on factors associated with the disease in these countries, effective prevention and awareness raising about the means of transmission can be effective in curbing the incidence of this disease.