New research highlights the long-term economic and educational consequences of malaria in sub-Saharan Africa, raising concerns over declining global health financing and the risk of a resurgence in infections.
Young people in sub-Saharan Africa are estimated to have lost an average of 96 school days – equivalent to nearly half a school year – due to malaria, according to new research highlighting the disease’s long-term impact on education, employment and economic development.
The study, conducted by Impact Global Health and commissioned by Malaria No More UK, also estimates that young adults entering the workforce this year could lose approximately 10 per cent of their lifetime earnings because of the effects of malaria.
The findings underscore the wider socioeconomic burden of a disease that continues to disproportionately affect Africa, where malaria remains a major public health challenge despite decades of investments in prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
Malaria’s hidden cost to education
Malaria affects educational attainment through repeated episodes of illness, school absenteeism and, in severe cases, neurological complications.
Children infected with malaria may miss several days or weeks of lessons while recovering at home or in hospital. Extended absences can disrupt learning, affect examination performance and widen existing educational inequalities.
Severe malaria, particularly cerebral malaria, can also cause neurological complications that affect cognitive development and a child’s ability to learn.
The research draws attention to how these effects extend beyond childhood, potentially influencing employment opportunities, productivity and lifetime income.
Teachers in Tanzania interviewed for the research described how malaria-related absences have disrupted pupils’ academic progress, with some children struggling to regain their previous performance levels after prolonged illness.
One teacher, Madam Dyandumbo, who has worked in Tanzania’s education sector for 23 years, recalled a pupil whose academic performance deteriorated after repeated bouts of illness and an extended absence from school.
“When a child misses lessons, their progress suffers and their performance declines,” she said, describing how the pupil struggled to catch up after returning to class.
Another teacher, Ally, recounted the experience of a student whose malaria infection progressed to affect his brain, keeping him away from school for more than three months.
Funding pressures threaten malaria control gains
The findings emerge amid growing concerns about the sustainability of malaria control programmes, particularly as international health financing faces significant pressure.
Funding reductions, mosquito resistance to existing insecticides and antimalarial interventions, and increasingly extreme weather events associated with climate change are creating additional challenges for malaria prevention and control.
Malaria currently claims approximately 610,000 lives annually, with children under five accounting for about three-quarters of the deaths, according to figures cited by Malaria No More UK.
The researchers warn that reductions in international health assistance could further undermine progress in controlling the disease.
They estimate that funding shortfalls affecting the Global Fund and declining bilateral assistance in 2025 could, if not addressed, compound malaria’s impact on education and future earnings.
For children born in 2026, the researchers project that the funding cuts could contribute to an approximately 18 per cent increase in lost school days and potential lifetime earnings.
The projections highlight the importance of sustained investment in malaria prevention and treatment, particularly in countries where health systems already face competing demands for limited resources.
Call for renewed investment in global health financing
Malaria No More UK is urging governments to sustain investment in international health institutions, including the Global Fund and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to ensure malaria prevention and treatment interventions reach vulnerable populations.
The organisation is also calling on malaria-endemic countries to increase domestic health financing and strengthen collaboration between the Global Fund, Gavi and the World Bank to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of malaria programmes.
A proposed funding initiative, the Malaria Impact Accelerator, is also expected to mobilise additional philanthropic contributions through the Global Fund specifically for malaria control.
Although the amount of funding expected through the initiative has not yet been confirmed, the initiative is intended to help address financing gaps and prevent a reversal of progress against malaria.
Gareth Jenkins, Managing Director of Malaria No More UK, said malaria could shape a child’s future by disrupting education and reducing their potential earning capacity.
He warned that funding reductions, alongside other emerging challenges, could accelerate a resurgence of the disease.
The organisation argues that sustained investment in global health institutions is necessary to ensure that life-saving interventions reach communities most affected by malaria.
Human stories behind the statistics
The research also documents individual experiences that illustrate the disease’s impact on education and livelihoods.
Adam, a 15-year-old student in southern Tanzania who hopes to become an engineer, missed two weeks of school in 2024 after contracting malaria shortly before important examinations.
He said the illness left him struggling to walk and confined to bed. Upon returning to school, he had to rely on teachers and classmates to help him catch up with missed lessons.
Although he eventually attained a B grade, he believes he could have performed better had malaria not interrupted his studies.
Similarly, Saada, a 17-year-old aspiring doctor, described how malaria affected her ability to participate in examinations after she became severely ill at school.
She experienced weakness and visual difficulties and struggled to complete examination questions after returning to class.
Beyond education, the research highlights the disease’s economic consequences for working adults.
Alexis, a 31-year-old resident of the Democratic Republic of Congo, lost his customer care job after a severe malaria infection affected his performance at work in 2018.
He subsequently remained unemployed for three years, despite having several family members dependent on his income.
His experience illustrates how malaria can contribute to household financial insecurity, unemployment and reduced economic resilience.
Implications for Africa’s development agenda
The findings reinforce the argument that malaria control should be viewed not only as a public health priority but also as an investment in Africa’s human capital and economic development.
The loss of school days, reduced academic performance and diminished lifetime earnings have implications for workforce productivity, poverty reduction and the continent’s broader development ambitions.
For African countries, the challenge is therefore twofold: sustaining access to effective malaria prevention and treatment while strengthening domestic health financing and reducing dependence on unpredictable external assistance.
As funding pressures intensify and climate-related risks reshape disease transmission patterns, maintaining progress against malaria will require coordinated action involving governments, research institutions, development partners and communities.
The study raises an important development question for the continent: how much of Africa’s future human capital could be lost if preventable diseases such as malaria continue to disrupt children’s education and young people’s transition into productive employment?