Since 2000, a tremendous expansion in the financing and coverage of malaria control programmes has led to a wide-scale reduction in malaria incidence and mortality. Based on reported data, 59 out of 103 countries that had ongoing malaria transmission in 2000 are meeting the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reversing the incidence of malaria. Of these, 52 are on track to meet Roll Back Malaria (RBM) and World Health Assembly targets of reducing malaria case incidence rates by 75% by 2015, including 8 countries of the WHO African Region. In 41 countries it is not possible to assess trends using reported data because of inconsistencies in the completeness of reporting over time, changes in diagnostic practice or health-service use.