Health Issues in Africa

Africa's Top 12 Public Health Issues

A burden-of-disease analysis of the twelve most pressing health challenges facing the African continent , from malaria and maternal mortality to diabetes, mental health, and antimicrobial resistance.

01

Malaria

95% of the world's malaria deaths occur in Africa. 265 million cases and 579,000 deaths in 2024 — with children…

04

HIV/AIDS

Sub-Saharan Africa is home to half of all new HIV infections globally and 61% of AIDS-related deaths. 630,000 people died…

05

Tuberculosis

The WHO African Region recorded 2.7 million people newly ill with TB and 378,000 deaths in 2024. TB incidence fell…

07

Cancer

1,154,584 new cancer cases and 754,574 deaths in Africa annually. 18 of the 20 countries with the highest cervical cancer…

08

Diabetes

24.6 million adults in Africa live with diabetes — projected to reach 59.5 million by 2050, a 142% increase. 73%…

09

Mental Health

Mental health conditions affect 116 million Africans today. Sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest depression DALY rate (1,137 per 100,000)…

11

Cholera and Diarrhoeal Disease

Africa is experiencing its worst cholera outbreak in 25 years: approximately 300,000 cases and more than 7,000 deaths in 2025.…

12

Antimicrobial Resistance

1.05 million deaths associated with bacterial AMR in the WHO African Region. Western sub-Saharan Africa has the world's highest AMR-attributable…