Very Low Income Households in Malawi Carry a Disproportionate Share of the Economic Burden of Malaria

Malaria takes an economic toll for several reasons. The cost of prevention and treatment as well as the wages lost due to illness greatly burden thousands of people. From a study about the economic impact of malaria in Malawian households, it was evident how disproportionately high the toll is on the poorest families. Stagnated economic growth and abject poverty are common in countries highly affected by malaria.  

The study found that the total direct and indirect costs of malaria among the poorest households consumed 32% of annual household income. Very low income households with an average annual income of $68 constituted 52% of the sampled households. The primary income source for these households was farm production (92%), with the majority of goods produced for subsistence purposes.
Read the full article here. 
The maps below give a look at the strongly correlated low GDP and high malaria instances worldwide.

Global distribution of malaria cases, with the most severely affected countries
belonging to the sub-Saharan region of Africa.

Global distribution of wealth based on annual GDP per capita in 2014. Notice the level of poverty
in countries most affected by malaria.

Read about the social and economic burden of malaria here
Read about the economic burden of malaria from a study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene here.