Published: November 2020; Updated January 2025
Table of Contents
Estimating the impact of your donations
For information about our general approach to estimating the impact of the programs and funding opportunities we recommend, see this page.
Research hours
GiveWell has 44 full-time research staff. The names and roles of research staff can be found here.
Each research staff member contributes about 1,840 hours per year (40 hours per week multiplied by 46 weeks, accounting for holidays and time off). We assume that one-quarter of their time is spent on non-research work, such as staff meetings. We thus roughly estimate that they collectively conduct more than 60,000 hours of research per year (44 staff multiplied by 1,840 hours per year multiplied by 75% of time on research).
Impact of malaria
Estimates of annual malaria deaths vary from about 597,000 to 748,000.1 About 95% of the malaria deaths reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) for 2023 were in the WHO African Region, and children under five years old accounted for more than three-quarters of those malaria deaths.2
More than 70% of total malaria deaths were children under five years old in Africa (95% of total malaria deaths in Africa multiplied by 76% of malaria deaths occurring in children under five results in 72.2%).
Impact of vitamin A deficiency
The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation’s Global Burden of Disease project estimates that vitamin A deficiency increases the risk of diarrhea, measles, and lower respiratory tract infections.3 Across the countries and regions where GiveWell has modeled Helen Keller Intl programs, we estimate the average prevalence of vitamin A deficiency in children under five is 27%.4
Impact of vaccine-preventable diseases
Worldwide, at least 15% of infants did not receive all recommended childhood vaccines.5 In Nigeria, where New Incentives operates, 44% of infants did not receive all recommended vaccines.6
Sources
- 1
The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) project estimates about 748,000 global deaths from malaria in 2021. “Measure: Deaths, 2021 number: 748,131.24.” Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Global Burden of Disease, GBD Compare, Global malaria deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates approximately 597,000 malaria deaths in 2023. “Globally in 2023, there were an estimated 263 million malaria cases and 597 000 malaria deaths in 83 countries.” WHO, Malaria Fact Sheet 2024.
- 2
“In 2023, the WHO African Region was home to 94% of malaria cases (246 million) and 95% (569 000) of malaria deaths. Children under 5 accounted for about 76% of all malaria deaths in the Region.” WHO, Malaria Fact Sheet 2024.
- 3
"In its Global Burden of Disease (GBD), IHME models VAD [vitamin A deficiency] as both a direct cause of years lived with disability (YLDs) and as a risk factor for three other diseases (diarrheal diseases, lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs), and measles)." GiveWell's non-verbatim summary of a conversation with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, April 5, 2019
- 4
See here in GiveWell’s vitamin A supplementation cost-effectiveness analysis.
- 5
“In 2023, global coverage of the third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP3) vaccine – often used as a marker of how well countries are providing routine immunization services to children – stagnated at 84 per cent.” UNICEF, "Immunization," 2024. We say “at least” because coverage tends to be lower for other vaccines. For global vaccination rates, see Our World in Data, Vaccination coverage, World, 2021.
- 6
In 2021, 56% of infants in Nigeria received the third dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine. Our World in Data, Vaccination coverage, Nigeria, 2021