Global AIDS Overview

The Global HIV/AIDS Crisis Today

HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has become one of the world’s most serious health and development challenges:

33.4 million are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
More than 25 million people have died of AIDS worldwide since the first cases were reported in 1981.
In 2008, 2 million people died due to HIV/AIDS, and another 2.7 million were newly infected.
While cases have been reported in all regions of the world, almost all those living with HIV (97%) reside in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
- More than 67 percent (approximately 22.4 million people) of those infected are in sub-Saharan Africa [PDF, 214KB].
- In Asia [PDF, 204KB], an estimated 4.7 million people were living with HIV in 2008, including the 350,000 people who became newly infected.
- In Latin America [PDF, 239KB], there were an estimated 2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in 2008;
- In Eastern European & Central Asia [PDF, 134KB], there were 1.5 million people living with HIV/AIDS.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), most people living with HIV or at risk for HIV do not have access to prevention, care, and treatment, and there is still no cure.
The HIV epidemic not only affects the health of individuals, it impacts households, communities, and the development and economic growth of nations. Many of the countries hardest hit by HIV also suffer from other infectious diseases, food insecurity, and other serious problems.
Despite these challenges, there have been successes and promising signs. New global efforts have been mounted to address the epidemic, particularly in the last decade. Prevention has helped to reduce HIV prevalence rates in a small but growing number of countries and new HIV infections are believed to be on the decline. In addition, the number of people with HIV receiving treatment in resource poor countries has increased 10-fold since 2002, reaching an estimated 4 million by 2008.

Overview compiled with information from WHO , USAID and Kaiser Family Foundation .

The United States supports a wide range of activities—from research and development to technical assistance and financial support to other nations—to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Read about PEPFAR and U.S. government global HIV/AIDS activities.