Around 70 percent of all malaria caused deaths in 2017 were concentrated in 10 African countries and India, the World Health Organization said.
The body gave the figures while releasing the 2018 World malaria report on Monday, to coincide with the commemoration of the World Malaria Day.
WHO in its report said the 10 African countries were; Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania.
The United Nations health agency bemoaned an increase in Malaria infections and deaths in 2017, which rose from 217 million to 219 million.
It said the targets to reduce global rates of infections and deaths from malaria are still not being met.
The targets set by the WHO Global technical strategy for malaria 2016–2030 call for a drop in malaria case incidence and death rates of at least 40 per cent by 2020.
The agency said cases in the aforementioned African countries rose by 3.5 million in 2017 compared to the previous year.
On a positive however, WHO said the number of countries nearing malaria elimination had risen from 37 to 46, with three countries – Algeria, Argentina and Uzbekistan – requesting official malaria-free certification from the body.
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes. It is preventable and curable.