A new government report has shown that more than 24.4 million Nigerians tested positive for malaria between January and September 2025.
The figures were contained in the 2025 National Health Statistics Report released by the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and made available to our reporter on Friday.
According to the ministry, malaria testing has continued to rise across the country. The number of people who went to health centres with fever and were tested with Rapid Diagnostic Tests or microscopy increased in every quarter of the year.
The report showed that Nigeria is still battling major challenges such as late visits to hospitals and weak health facilities, which make malaria control more difficult. The data also suggests that malaria cases tend to rise during the rainy season when mosquito breeding increases.
Experts warned that if nothing changes, the country may record even more cases before the end of 2025.
The report stated: “From January to March, approximately 10,517,416 Nigerians were tested. In the second quarter, from April to June, the number rose to about 11,449,804 Nigerians.
“By the third quarter, from July to September, testing reached 12,878,508 Nigerians. In total, over the nine-month period, 34,845,728 Nigerians were tested for malaria.”
It added: “Of those tested, those who were confirmed positive for malaria during the first quarter were 7,301,279. From April to June, approximately 7,841,483 individuals were confirmed positive.
“In the third quarter, from July to September, about 9,324,470 tested positive for malaria. This brings the cumulative total of confirmed malaria cases for the first three quarters of 2025 to 24,467,232.”
The report also noted a rise in the number of people treated for malaria with Artemisinin-based Combination Therapy. It showed that 7,144,538 people received treatment in the first quarter, 7,663,106 in the second quarter, and 9,043,786 in the third quarter, bringing the total number treated to about 23,851,430.
Speaking at the 2025 Joint Annual Review in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said the National Malaria Eradication Programme had recorded progress and continues to work on improving access to treatment and prevention across the country.
