While a world of remarkable medical progress exists, the stark reality painted by 2022's global HIV statistics reveals a persistent and complex epidemic, with over 39 million people living with HIV and deeply uneven impacts across regions and demographics.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, an estimated 39.0 million people were living with HIV globally, including 1.4 million children aged 0-14 years
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 65% of people living with HIV worldwide in 2022, with approximately 25.6 million cases
- In Western and Central Europe and North America, 75% of people living with HIV knew their status in 2022
- In 2022, 1.30 million people acquired HIV globally, with 160,000 children aged 0-14 years
- New HIV infections declined by 22% from 2010 to 2022 globally, from 2.1 million to 1.3 million
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 67% of new HIV infections worldwide in 2022
- In 2022, 630,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred globally
- AIDS-related deaths declined 69% since peak of 2.0 million in 2004 to 630,000 in 2022
- Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 73% of AIDS deaths in 2022, about 460,000
- In 2022, 86% of people living with HIV were on antiretroviral therapy globally
- Viral suppression among those on ART reached 72% globally in 2022 (71% adults, 63% children)
- In sub-Saharan Africa, 82% of PLHIV were on treatment in 2022
- Globally, 88% of infants exposed to HIV were tested within 2 months of birth in 2022
- In 2022, 86% of people living with HIV knew their status globally
- Sub-Saharan Africa tested 81% of adults 15-64 at least once in 2022
HIV remains a global crisis, but progress in testing and treatment offers hope.
Incidence
1In 2022, 1.30 million people acquired HIV globally, with 160,000 children aged 0-14 years
Verified2New HIV infections declined by 22% from 2010 to 2022 globally, from 2.1 million to 1.3 million
Verified3Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 67% of new HIV infections worldwide in 2022
Verified4In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, new HIV infections increased by 25% from 2010 to 2022
Directional5Globally, adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 accounted for 75% of new HIV infections among adolescents in 2022
Single source6In 2022, there were 120,000 new HIV infections among children aged 0-14 globally
Verified7The US saw 32,100 new HIV infections in 2021 among persons aged 13 and older
Verified8New infections in Western and Central Africa decreased by 35% from 2010 to 2022
Verified9In 2022, key populations accounted for 47% of new HIV infections globally
Directional10Latin America had 170,000 new HIV infections in 2022
Single source11In 2022, new HIV infections among adults 15+ were 1.14 million globally
Verified12Eastern and Southern Africa saw 640,000 new infections in 2022
Verified13Globally, new infections fell 59% among children since 2010, to 120,000 in 2022
Verified14In the US, gay and bisexual men accounted for 67% of new HIV diagnoses in 2021
Directional15Middle East and North Africa had 39,000 new infections in 2022, up 26% since 2010
Single source16Asia and Pacific region had 270,000 new infections in 2022
Verified17Caribbean saw 21,000 new infections in 2022
Verified18In 2022, 250,000 new infections occurred among young women aged 15-24 globally
Verified19New infections in Western Europe and North America stable at 36,000 in 2022
Directional20In South Africa, 150,000 new infections in 2022
Single source21Globally, 160,000 children newly infected in 2022, mostly via mother-to-child transmission
Verified22Incidence rate among adults 15-49 was 0.18% globally in 2022
Verified23In 2021, US incidence rate was 11.3 per 100,000 population
Verified24New infections among transgender people estimated at 4,100 globally in 2022
Directional25In 2022, 71,000 new infections in Nigeria
Single source26Adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa had incidence 3 times higher than boys in 2022
Verified27Globally, new infections peaked at 3.3 million in 1996 and fell to 1.3 million in 2022
VerifiedIncidence Interpretation
While global HIV infections have impressively halved from their 1990s peak, the stubbornly high and uneven burden—from 120,000 newly infected children to rising cases in Eastern Europe and young women bearing the brunt—reveals a world still failing its most vulnerable.
Mortality
1In 2022, 630,000 AIDS-related deaths occurred globally
Verified2AIDS-related deaths declined 69% since peak of 2.0 million in 2004 to 630,000 in 2022
Verified3Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 73% of AIDS deaths in 2022, about 460,000
Verified4In 2022, 90,000 children aged 0-14 died from AIDS-related causes
Directional5Globally, 36.3 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since epidemic began
Single source6In the US, 5,954 people died with HIV as underlying cause in 2021
Verified7AIDS mortality in Western and Central Africa fell 52% from 2010 to 2022
Verified8Eastern Europe and Central Asia saw AIDS deaths double to 57,000 in 2022
Verified9In 2022, women accounted for 48% of AIDS-related deaths globally
Directional10Latin America had 37,000 AIDS deaths in 2022
Single source11Since 1981, cumulative AIDS deaths globally exceed 40 million
Verified12Eastern and Southern Africa had 410,000 AIDS deaths in 2022
Verified13In 2022, 11,000 adolescents aged 10-19 died from AIDS-related causes
Verified14US HIV mortality rate was 1.6 per 100,000 in 2021
Directional15Middle East and North Africa AIDS deaths up 50% since 2010 to 13,000 in 2022
Single source16Asia and Pacific had 110,000 AIDS deaths in 2022
Verified17Caribbean recorded 8,900 AIDS deaths in 2022
Verified18In South Africa, 104,000 AIDS deaths in 2022
Verified19Globally, TB was leading cause of death among PLHIV, 167,000 deaths in 2022
Directional20Western Europe and North America had 11,000 AIDS deaths in 2022
Single source21In 2022, 120,000 children died from AIDS, down 62% since 2010
Verified22Nigeria saw 53,000 AIDS deaths in 2022
Verified23AIDS mortality rate globally was 7.7 per 100,000 in 2022
Verified24Cumulative US AIDS deaths since 1981: over 700,000
Directional25In 2022, 77% of AIDS deaths occurred in sub-Saharan Africa
Single sourceMortality Interpretation
While the global fight against AIDS has made heroic strides—cutting deaths by over two-thirds since its peak—the sobering persistence of the epidemic, particularly for women and children in sub-Saharan Africa and amidst troubling resurgences in other regions, reminds us that victory in this war is still a continent away.
Prevalence
1In 2022, an estimated 39.0 million people were living with HIV globally, including 1.4 million children aged 0-14 years
Verified2Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 65% of people living with HIV worldwide in 2022, with approximately 25.6 million cases
Verified3In Western and Central Europe and North America, 75% of people living with HIV knew their status in 2022
Verified4Women and girls accounted for 53% of all people living with HIV globally in 2022
Directional5In 2022, 1.3 million people aged 15 and older acquired HIV globally
Single source6Eastern Europe and Central Asia saw a 25% increase in people living with HIV from 2010 to 2022, reaching 1.8 million
Verified7In Latin America, about 2.5 million people were living with HIV in 2022, representing 6% of the global total
Verified8Middle East and North Africa had an estimated 370,000 people living with HIV in 2022
Verified9In Asia and the Pacific, 6.7 million people were living with HIV in 2022
Directional10Caribbean region had around 320,000 people living with HIV in 2022
Single source11In the United States, 1.2 million people aged 13 and older were living with HIV in 2021
Verified12South Africa had the largest number of people living with HIV at 7.8 million in 2022
Verified13In 2022, 25 million people living with HIV were in sub-Saharan Africa east and southern regions
Verified14Globally, 53% of adults aged 15+ living with HIV were women in 2022
Directional15In 2022, an estimated 1.5 million children under 15 were living with HIV globally
Single source16Western Africa had 1.9 million people living with HIV in 2022
Verified17In 2021, 37.9 million people were living with HIV worldwide per UNAIDS estimates
Verified18Nigeria had 1.9 million people living with HIV in 2022, second highest globally
Verified19In 2022, 86% of people living with HIV globally knew their HIV status
Directional20Eastern and Southern Africa had 20.8 million people living with HIV in 2022
Single source21In 2022, 1.04 million people in the US were living with diagnosed HIV
Verified22Globally, key populations including gay men and transgender people represent 8% of people living with HIV but account for higher proportions
Verified23In 2022, 5.5 million people living with HIV were in West and Central Africa
Verified24Russia had over 1 million people living with HIV in 2022
Directional25In 2022, adult prevalence rate was 3.4% in Eswatini, highest globally
Single source26Globally, 38.4 million people aged 15+ were living with HIV in 2021
Verified27In 2022, 670,000 adolescents aged 10-19 were living with HIV globally
Verified28Mozambique had 1.8 million people living with HIV in 2022
Verified29In 2022, prevalence among adults 15-49 was 19.3% in Eswatini
Directional30Globally, 1.4 million people living with HIV were children (0-14 years) in 2022
Single sourcePrevalence Interpretation
The sobering map of this epidemic reveals a stubbornly unequal world, where geography and gender dramatically skew risk, as two-thirds of all cases reside in sub-Saharan Africa and over half are women and girls.
Prevention
1PrEP initiations reached 3 million globally by 2022
Verified2Condom use at last high-risk sex was 80% among young people in sub-Saharan Africa in 2022
Verified3Globally, 54% reduction in new HIV infections since 2010 peak due to prevention
Verified4Voluntary medical male circumcision averted 3.4 million infections in 15 countries by 2022
Directional5In 2022, 76% of HIV-positive pregnant women received ART to prevent MTCT
Single source6US PrEP users numbered 1.2 million person-years in 2022
Verified7Globally, 50% of adults 15-49 used condoms correctly and consistently in 2022 surveys
Verified8DREAMS program reached 2 million adolescent girls in 2022 for prevention
Verified9Needle-syringe programs provided 12 billion exchanges cumulatively by 2022
Directional10In Eastern/Southern Africa, MTCT rate fell to 8.7% in 2022
Single source11Globally, 400,000 sex workers received HIV prevention in 2022
Verified12Male circumcision coverage reached 60% in 15 priority countries by 2022
Verified13PrEP prevented an estimated 74,000 infections in South Africa alone by 2022
Verified14Globally, 85% of new infant infections prevented via PMTCT since 2010
Directional15Harm reduction for PWID reached 55% of estimated population in 2022
Single source16In US, 36% decline in infections among MSM due to PrEP scale-up 2015-2021
Verified17Condom promotion averted 117 million infections globally 1990-2022
Verified18310,000 adolescent girls reached by DREAMS in Eswatini, highest coverage 2022
Verified19Globally, sex education programs reduced risky behavior by 30% in youth 2022
Directional20OST for PWID covered 45% globally in 2022, preventing 20,000 infections yearly
Single source21MTCT elimination certified in 7 countries by 2022, with <2% transmission rate
Verified22In 2022, 1.3 million on PrEP globally, up 25% from 2021
Verified23VMMC performed on 30 million men in Africa by 2022
Verified24HIV prevention budget reached $20.8 billion globally in 2022
Directional25Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) uptake increased 15% in high-burden areas 2022
Single sourcePrevention Interpretation
The fight against HIV is a masterclass in pragmatism, proving that when we throw everything from condoms and PrEP to education and harm reduction at the problem with serious commitment, the epidemic—much to its own annoyance—actually starts to retreat.
Testing
1Globally, 88% of infants exposed to HIV were tested within 2 months of birth in 2022
Verified2In 2022, 86% of people living with HIV knew their status globally
Verified3Sub-Saharan Africa tested 81% of adults 15-64 at least once in 2022
Verified4In the US, 86% of PLHIV were aware of their status in 2021
Directional5Globally, 96 million people tested for HIV in 2022 via services
Single source6Eastern and Southern Africa achieved 92% knew status in 2022
Verified7In 2022, 68% of pregnant women living with HIV were tested antenatally
Verified8Western and Central Europe/North America had 94% knew status in 2022
Verified9Key populations testing coverage reached 89% in 20 high-burden countries in 2022
Directional10In Latin America, 78% of PLHIV knew their status in 2022
Single source11US HIV testing among sexually active MSM was 68% in past year per 2021 data
Verified12Globally, self-testing kits distributed reached 10 million in 2022
Verified13In South Africa, 95% of PLHIV knew status in 2022
Verified14Asia and Pacific tested 75% of PLHIV for status in 2022
Directional15In 2022, 83% of adults 15+ in Eastern/Southern Africa ever tested for HIV
Single source16Caribbean knew status among 85% of PLHIV in 2022
Verified17Middle East/North Africa had 64% knew status in 2022
Verified18In Nigeria, 92% knew status among PLHIV in 2022
Verified19Globally, 2.5 million people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2022
Directional20Western/Central Africa achieved 81% knew status in 2022
Single source21In US, 1.07 million diagnosed with HIV by end 2021
Verified2299% of infants born to women on ART test HIV-negative in high-coverage settings
Verified23Eastern Europe/Central Asia knew status 76% in 2022
Verified24Globally, HIV testing services reached 164 million people in 2022
DirectionalTesting Interpretation
While remarkable progress in global HIV awareness shines through these numbers, the persistent and uneven gaps in testing between regions and key populations expose the dangerous fault lines where the epidemic continues to smolder.
Treatment
1In 2022, 86% of people living with HIV were on antiretroviral therapy globally
Verified2Viral suppression among those on ART reached 72% globally in 2022 (71% adults, 63% children)
Verified3In sub-Saharan Africa, 82% of PLHIV were on treatment in 2022
Verified4Globally, 29.8 million people were accessing ART in 2022, up from 7.8 million in 2010
Directional5In the US, 65% of diagnosed PLHIV had viral suppression in 2021
Single source6Children aged 0-14 had only 63% on ART globally in 2022
Verified7Western and Central Europe/North America achieved 92% on treatment in 2022
Verified8In Latin America, 72% of PLHIV were on ART in 2022
Verified9Globally, treatment coverage increased to 77% for adults 15+ in 2022
Directional10Eastern Europe and Central Asia had 51% treatment coverage in 2022
Single source11In 2022, 75% of women living with HIV were on ART globally
Verified12US saw 94% of diagnosed PLHIV retained in care in 2021
Verified13Asia and Pacific region had 76% on treatment in 2022
Verified14In South Africa, 94% of known PLHIV were on ART in 2022
Directional15Globally, 66% of children living with HIV were on ART in 2022
Single source16Middle East and North Africa treatment coverage at 67% in 2022
Verified17In 2022, 89% of PLHIV on ART in Eastern and Southern Africa had viral suppression
Verified18Caribbean had 82% treatment coverage in 2022
Verified19Globally, first-line ART regimens used by 95% of treated adults in 2022
Directional20In Nigeria, 92% of adults on treatment achieved viral suppression in 2022
Single source21Western and Central Africa reached 79% treatment coverage in 2022
Verified22In the US, 538,000 PLHIV were virally suppressed in 2021
Verified23Globally, ART prevented 4.4 million deaths in 2000-2022
Verified24Retention in care among US PLHIV was 86% at 12 months post-diagnosis in 2021
Directional25In 2022, 76% global viral load suppression among adults on ART
Single source26Key populations had 82% treatment coverage in high-burden countries in 2022
Verified27In 2023, 30.7 million people accessed ART globally by end of year
VerifiedTreatment Interpretation
This progress in HIV treatment is a testament to global commitment, yet it remains a mosaic of remarkable gains and persistent gaps, where a child's chance of viral suppression still depends far too much on the latitude of their birth.