As of 2022, South Africa was the country with the highest number of people living with HIV in Africa. At that time, around 7.6 million people in South Africa were HIV positive. In Mozambique, the country with the second highest number of HIV-positive people in Africa, around 2.4 million people were living with HIV.
Which country in Africa has the highest prevalence of HIV?
Although South Africa has the highest total number of people living with HIV in Africa, it does not have the highest prevalence of HIV on the continent. Eswatini currently has the highest prevalence of HIV in Africa and worldwide, with almost 28 percent of the population living with HIV. South Africa has the fourth highest prevalence with around 18 percent of the population HIV positive. Eswatini also has the highest rate of new HIV infections per 1,000 population worldwide, followed by Mozambique and South Africa. However, South Africa had the highest total number of new HIV infections in 2022, with around 160,000 people newly infected with HIV that year.
Deaths from HIV in Africa
Thanks to advances in treatment and awareness, HIV/AIDS no longer contributes to a significant amount of death in many countries. However, the disease is still the fourth leading cause of death in Africa, accounting for around 5.6 percent of all deaths. In 2022, Mozambique and South Africa were the countries with the highest number of AIDS-related deaths worldwide with 48,000 and 45,000 such deaths, respectively. Although not every country in the leading 25 for AIDS-related deaths is found in Africa, African countries account for the majority of countries on the list. Fortunately, HIV treatment has become more accessible in Africa over the years and now up to 95 percent of people living with HIV in Eswatini are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Access to ART does vary from country to country however, with around 75 percent of people who are HIV positive in South Africa receiving ART, and only 24 percent in the Congo.
Number of people living with HIV in select African countries in 2022
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UNAIDS. (August 15, 2023). Number of people living with HIV in select African countries in 2022 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1305217/number-people-with-hiv-african-countries/
UNAIDS. "Number of people living with HIV in select African countries in 2022." Chart. August 15, 2023. Statista. Accessed July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1305217/number-people-with-hiv-african-countries/
UNAIDS. (2023). Number of people living with HIV in select African countries in 2022. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: July 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1305217/number-people-with-hiv-african-countries/
UNAIDS. "Number of People Living with Hiv in Select African Countries in 2022." Statista, Statista Inc., 15 Aug 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1305217/number-people-with-hiv-african-countries/
UNAIDS, Number of people living with HIV in select African countries in 2022 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1305217/number-people-with-hiv-african-countries/ (last visited July 22, 2024)
Number of people living with HIV in select African countries in 2022 [Graph], UNAIDS, August 15, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1305217/number-people-with-hiv-african-countries/