African Countries With The Highest HIV AIDS Rates

Five countries in Southern Africa bear the heaviest burden of HIV and AIDS worldwide, accounts for more than half of all new HIV infections. Nine countries, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland (renamed the country eSwatini in April 2018), Zambia and Zimbabwe have adult HIV prevalence rates of over 10 percent.

Five African Countries With The Highest HIV AIDS Rates

ESwatini 27.2 percent
Lesotho 25 percent
Botswana 21.9 percent
South Africa 18.9 percent
Namibia 13.8 percent

Africa highest HIV AIDS rates of adult aged 15-49 living with HIV AIDS.

In 2016, of the estimated 6,000 new AIDS infections that occur globally each day, two out of three are in Africa below the Sahara desert with young women continuing to bear a disproportionate burden of the disease. Adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24 years have up to eight-fold higher rates of HIV infection compared to their male contemporaries.

Eastern and Southern Africa is home to half the world’s population living with HIV. Today the region continues to be the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, with 48 percent of the world’s new HIV infections among adults, 55 percent among children, and 48 percent of AIDS-related deaths. With 5.6 million people living with HIV 17.3 percent, Southern Africa is home to the world’s largest HIV AIDS epidemic.

The high HIV/AIDS rates among adults aged 15–49 in Africa are critically important because it means millions are living with a chronic condition that requires lifelong treatment. High rates strain healthcare systems, especially in countries with limited resources and increases vulnerability to other diseases due to weakened immune systems.

Adults aged 15–49 are typically the most economically productive and socially active group. HIV/AIDS affects families, leading to orphaned children and disrupted household structures causing slower economic development in affected African regions.

At an estimated 26.9 percent, eSwatini has the highest HIV prevalence rate in the world, followed by Lesotho 25 percent, Botswana 21.9 percent, South Africa 18.9 percent and Namibia 13.8 percent.

Leaders in Africa have been funneling money into their national AIDS programs. Last year alone, South Africa invested over $2 billion from public sources for its national AIDS response.

Global trends in HIV infection demonstrate an overall increase in HIV prevalence and substantial declines in AIDS-related deaths largely attributable to the survival benefits of antiretroviral treatment.

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