Number of people treated for river blindness by country

Reported number of people treated with ivermectin for river blindness.

Countries reporting
33
Highest
44.32 million People
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lowest
0 People
Gabon
Median
1.66 million People
Years covered
20
2005–2024
Data points
538

What the numbers show

Number of people treated for river blindness is currently reported for 33 countries. The highest value is 44.32 million People in Democratic Republic of Congo; the lowest is 0 People in Gabon.

The median across all reporting countries is 1.66 million People, and the mean is 5.22 million People.

Over the past decade 22 countries rose and 9 fell. The largest increase was in Yemen (up 1,878.2%), and the largest decrease in Equatorial Guinea (down 100.0%).

Number of people treated for river blindness: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Democratic Republic of Congo 44.32 million People 2024 up 70.1% volatile
2 Nigeria 24.29 million People 2024 down 45.3% rising
3 Ethiopia 20.33 million People 2024 up 108.6% volatile
4 Cote d'Ivoire 17.96 million People 2024 up 862.9% volatile
5 Cameroon 8.89 million People 2024 up 23.4% rising
6 Guinea 7.23 million People 2024 up 655.4% volatile
7 Tanzania 5.91 million People 2024 up 77.1% volatile
8 Mali 5.51 million People 2024 up 871.9% rising
9 South Sudan 5.38 million People 2024 up 262.4% volatile
10 Benin 4.84 million People 2024 up 63.9% rising
11 Chad 4.74 million People 2024 up 173.8% volatile
12 Ghana 4.33 million People 2024 up 28.4% volatile
13 Liberia 3.12 million People 2024 up 17.7% rising
14 Togo 3.06 million People 2024 up 13.4% rising
15 Angola 2.68 million People 2024 up 1,740.9% volatile
16 Burundi 1.94 million People 2024 up 50.6% rising
17 Malawi 1.66 million People 2024 down 8.3% rising
18 Central African Republic 1.66 million People 2024 up 154.6% volatile
19 Yemen 1.29 million People 2023 up 1,878.2% volatile
20 Congo 772,264 People 2024 up 35.1% flat
21 Uganda 596,500 People 2024 down 77.8% falling
22 Guinea-Bissau 443,616 People 2024 up 256.3% volatile
23 Sierra Leone 414,286 People 2024 down 87.9% rising
24 Senegal 327,943 People 2022 up 172.3% volatile
25 Burkina Faso 270,762 People 2024 up 34.0% rising
26 Guatemala 105,606 People 2011 down 35.9% falling
27 Mexico 102,227 People 2011 down 29.3% falling
28 Ecuador 15,425 People 2009 falling
29 Brazil 11,514 People 2024 up 16.8% rising
30 Venezuela 8,958 People 2024 down 8.7% volatile
31 Equatorial Guinea 0 People 2020 down 100.0% volatile
31 Sudan 0 People 2024 down 100.0% volatile
31 Gabon 0 People 2024 flat

About this data

Indicator
Number of people treated for river blindness
Unit
People
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
33 places, 538 data points, 2005–2024
Last refreshed

Reported number of people treated with ivermectin for river blindness.