facts & figures

:: Sub-Saharan Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region. Some 1.7 million [1.4 million-2.4 million] people were newly infected with HIV in 2007, bringing to 22.5 million [20.9 million-24.3 million] the total number of people living with the virus. Unlike other regions, the majority of people (61%) living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa are women.

More than two-thirds (68%) of all people infected with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa where more than three quarters (76%) of all AIDS-related deaths in 2007 occurred.

South Africa is the country in the world with the most HIV infections, but like most of the countries in Southern, East and West Africa adult HIV prevalence is either stable or has started to decline. The latter trend is most evident in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and signs of declining HIV prevalence are also being seen in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali and urban Burkina Faso. In these countries there is also evidence of a shift towards safer behavior.

:: Latin America & the Caribbean

Latin America’s HIV epidemics remain generally stable. The estimated number of new HIV infections in Latin America in 2007 was 100,000 [47,000-220,000], bringing to 1.6 million [1.4 million-1.9 million] the total number of people living with HIV in this region. An estimated 58,000 [49,000-91,000] people died of AIDS-related illnesses in the past year.

Widespread stigma and discrimination are hampering efforts to achieve universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in Latin America. More investment is needed to address inadequate surveillance in the region.

Adult HIV prevalence was estimated at 1% in 2007 in the Caribbean, which remains the second most affected region in the world after sub-Saharan Africa. Some 230,000 [210,000-270,000] people were living with HIV in 2007, and an estimated 11,000 [9,800- 18,000] people died of AIDS-related illnesses. In addition, 17,000 [15,000-23,000] people were newly infected with HIV.

HIV prevalence is highest in the Dominican Republic and Haiti, which together account for nearly three quarters of all people living with HIV in the Caribbean. In Haiti, however, data indicate significant recent reductions in some forms of sexual behavior that put people at a higher risk of exposure to HIV.

AIDS remains one of the leading causes of death in the Caribbean among people aged 25 to 44 years.

:: Eastern Europe and Central Asia

The number of people living with HIV in Eastern Europe and Central Asia rose in 2007 to an estimated 1.6 million [1.2 million-2.1 million], with an estimated 150,000 [70,000- 290,000] new HIV infections. Some 55,000 [42,000-88,000] people died of AIDS related illnesses in the region in 2007.

Nearly 90% of newly reported HIV diagnoses in this region occurred in two countries, the Russian Federation (66%) and Ukraine (21%), but newly reported HIV diagnoses are rising in other countries, including Uzbekistan, which now has the largest epidemic in Central Asia.

Injecting drug use is a major factor in the region’s epidemic.

:: South Asia & East Asia & Pacific

In 2007, an estimated 4.9 million [3.7 million-6.7 million] people in Asia were living with HIV, including the 440,000 [210 000-1.0 million] people newly infected in the past year. Approximately 300,000 [250,000-470,000] people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2007.

In 2007 there were almost 20% more new HIV infections in East Asia than in 2001.

HIV prevalence is highest in South-East Asia, with wide variation in epidemic trends between different countries – Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia show declines in prevalence, but the epidemic is growing at a particularly high rate in Indonesia and in Viet Nam.

Although the proportion of people living with HIV in India is lower than previously estimated, the epidemic continues to affect large numbers of people (2.5 million people [2 million-3.1 million] in 2006).

In the Pacific an estimated 14,000 [11,000-26,000] people acquired HIV in 2007, bringing to 75,000 [53,000-120,000] the total number of people living with the virus in this region.

Over 70% of the total number of people living with HIV in this region are in Papua New Guinea, where the epidemic is still expanding, although at slightly lower levels than previously believed.

In Australia and New Zealand, HIV continues to be transmitted mainly through unprotected sex between men.

:: Middle East and North Africa

An estimated 35,000 [16,000-65,000] people in the region acquired HIV in 2007, bringing to 380,000 [270,000-500,000] the total number of people living with HIV. An estimated 25,000 [20,000-34,000] people died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2007.

Few data are available in the region and much more needs to be done to improve surveillance and data collection.

Most HIV infections occur in men and in urban areas, with the exception of Sudan, the country with the highest prevalence in the region, where unsafe heterosexual intercourse is the most important risk factor for HIV infection.

While unprotected paid sex is a key factor in the HIV epidemics throughout the region, injecting drug use is the main route of HIV transmission in many countries.

Source: Selected facts about HIV/AIDS from around the world courtesy of UNAIDS. For complete regional information, visit: www.unaids.org