Top 10 Countries with the Highest Cholera Cases Globally in 2024

The World Health Organization (WHO) has mapped the spread of cholera across five regions under study.

According to Siloam Hospitals, cholera is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium *Vibrio cholerae*. The disease causes sufferers to experience severe diarrhea and dehydration.

Afghanistan has the highest number of cholera cases, with 143,327 cases reported. These cases are counted as acute watery diarrhea (AWD).

Pakistan is second with 60,369 cases, followed by Yemen with 36,404 cases.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is fourth with 25,221 cases, and Ethiopia is fifth with 23,931 cases.

Zambia, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Comoros round out the top ten.

A total of 439,724 cholera cases and 3,432 deaths were reported between January and September 2024.

The WHO notes that the data presented may not be fully comprehensive due to reporting delays.

The WHO adds that differences in surveillance systems, case definitions, and laboratory capacity among countries mean that cholera case and death statistics cannot be directly compared.

"Furthermore, the global case fatality rate (CFR) for cholera requires careful scrutiny as it is heavily influenced by variations in surveillance methodology," wrote the WHO, as quoted on Tuesday (November 19, 2024).

The following are the 10 countries with the highest number of cholera cases as of September 2024:

* Afghanistan: 143,327 cases
* Pakistan: 60,369 cases
* Yemen: 36,404 cases
* Democratic Republic of Congo: 25,221 cases
* Ethiopia: 23,931 cases
* Zambia: 20,219 cases
* Sudan: 20,062 cases
* Zimbabwe: 20,033 cases
* Nigeria: 10,837 cases
* Comoros: 10,433 cases

(See also: 10 Countries with the Highest Cholera Deaths in 2024)