Number of people requiring preventive treatment for river blindness by country

The estimated number of people at risk of river blindness) who require preventive chemotherapy.

Countries reporting
31
Highest
57.75 million People
Democratic Republic of Congo
Lowest
16,071 People
Venezuela
Median
3.80 million People
Years covered
12
2013–2024
Data points
359

What the numbers show

Number of people requiring preventive treatment for river blindness is currently reported for 31 countries. The highest value is 57.75 million People in Democratic Republic of Congo; the lowest is 16,071 People in Venezuela.

The median across all reporting countries is 3.80 million People, and the mean is 8.15 million People.

The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3,593.

Over the past decade 26 countries rose and 5 fell. The largest increase was in Mozambique (up 8,329.3%), and the largest decrease in Uganda (down 85.4%).

Number of people requiring preventive treatment for river blindness: full country ranking

#Country LatestYear 10-year changeTrend
1 Democratic Republic of Congo 57.75 million People 2024 up 32.7% rising
2 Nigeria 40.38 million People 2024 down 21.4% falling
3 Ethiopia 30.56 million People 2024 up 152.4% rising
4 Cote d'Ivoire 22.62 million People 2024 up 868.8% volatile
5 Guinea 11.78 million People 2024 up 250.8% rising
6 Cameroon 11.77 million People 2024 up 31.7% rising
7 South Sudan 9.77 million People 2024 up 40.2% rising
8 Mali 7.31 million People 2024 up 39.7% rising
9 Sierra Leone 7.07 million People 2024 up 118.0% rising
10 Tanzania 6.88 million People 2024 up 94.3% rising
11 Angola 6.77 million People 2024 up 159.5% rising
12 Benin 6.55 million People 2024 up 85.9% rising
13 Chad 6.17 million People 2024 up 139.2% rising
14 Ghana 5.20 million People 2024 up 104.3% rising
15 Liberia 3.84 million People 2024 up 20.9% rising
16 Central African Republic 3.80 million People 2024 up 76.7% rising
17 Togo 3.40 million People 2024 up 6.8% falling
18 Burundi 2.27 million People 2024 up 0.3% rising
19 Malawi 2.03 million People 2024 down 11.2% falling
20 Yemen 1.46 million People 2024 up 386.6% volatile
21 Mozambique 1.43 million People 2024 up 8,329.3% volatile
22 Congo 841,658 People 2024 down 42.3% falling
23 Gabon 783,365 People 2024 up 1,003.3% volatile
24 Uganda 651,348 People 2024 down 85.4% falling
25 Guinea-Bissau 646,572 People 2024 up 236.2% rising
26 Senegal 356,387 People 2022 up 97.5% volatile
27 Burkina Faso 340,655 People 2024 up 47.4% rising
28 Sudan 196,703 People 2024 down 70.3% falling
29 Equatorial Guinea 98,797 People 2020 up 15.1% rising
30 Brazil 16,842 People 2024 up 20.5% rising
31 Venezuela 16,071 People 2024 up 25.6% rising

About this data

Indicator
Number of people requiring preventive treatment 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
31 places, 359 data points, 2013–2024
Last refreshed

The estimated number of people at risk of river blindness) who require preventive chemotherapy.