Eliminating malaria: 21 countries, a common goal

In 2016, WHO identified a group of 21 countries across 5 regions with the potential to achieve zero indigenous cases of malaria by 2020. Together, they formed the E-2020 initiative.

Countries were selected based on an analysis that considered the likelihood of elimination across 3 key criteria: 

• trends in malaria case incidence between 2000 and 2014; 
• declared malaria elimination objectives of affected countries; 
• informed opinions of WHO experts in the field. 

Through the E-2020 initiative, launched in 2017, WHO supported these 21 countries in their efforts to achieve zero indigenous cases of malaria within the 2020 timeline. While some countries did not meet the 2020 elimination goal, they remain committed to ridding their populations of the last vestiges of this disease.