Since 1981 when 5 gay men in the United States were first identified with AIDS, the epidemic has claimed the lives of more than 25 million people so far across the globe.

There are 33 million people living with HIV around the world. Two-thirds live in sub-Saharan Africa where AIDS is the leading cause of death. However, thanks to better access to HIV treatment, more people are living longer, healthier lives and fewer are dying from AIDS-related illnesses.

Experts believe in recent years there has been a drop in the numbers of people who are becoming newly infected with HIV. However, numbers are still very high with 2.7 million new infections in 2007 – that’s 7,400 people every day, and 45% of these are young people aged 15 to 24 years.

There is no single AIDS epidemic. The virus is found in people of all ages and walks of life. HIV is found in the general population in countries in the southern part of sub-Saharan Africa whereas in other parts of the world it mainly impacts people with high-risk behaviours (such as men who have unprotected sex with men, people who inject drugs, and people who buy and sell sex) and their sexual partners.
Find out more about the HIV epidemics around the world:

Sub-Saharan Africa
Asia
Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Caribbean
Latin America
North America, Western and Central Europe
Middle East and North Africa
Oceania

2008 Report on the global AIDS epidemic