Map of the worldwide spread of fall armyworm since 2016 (as of July 2023). This map was compiled using information from a range of sources, including the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization (EPPO), FAO, International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), and national governments.
The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of FAO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers and boundaries.
Native to the Americas, FAW was detected in Central and Western Africa in early 2016 and further reported and confirmed in the whole of mainland Southern Africa (except Lesotho), in Madagascar and Seychelles (Island State).
Within two years, it had spread across almost all of sub-Saharan Africa. By November 2019, the pest was also confirmed in Sudan, Egypt and Yemen, as well as in many Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, Malaysia, Viet Nam, Cambodia, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Between February and May 2020, it was confirmed in Australia, Mauritania, Timor Leste and the United Arab Emirates. In late 2020, it was detected in Jordan, Syria and Papua New Guinea. In January 2021, New Caledonia confirmed FAW and by April it had invaded the Canary Islands of Spain in Europe. In 2023, it was also confirmed in Türkiye and Cyprus. In 2024, FAW was officially detected in Vanuatu and in Romania. As of today, FAW spread from the Americas to more than 80 countries.