11 Facts about HIV/AIDS Around the World
- There were more than 33 million in 2007, with more than 7,000 new HIV infections each day in 2007.
- HIV/AIDS is among the leading causes of death worldwide and the number one cause of death in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- HIV/AIDS cases have been reported in all regions of the world, but the large majority of people living with the disease (approximately 95%) reside in low-and middle-income countries.
- Worldwide, HIV is primarily transmitted heterosexually, although in many regions, men who have sex with men, injection drug users, and sex workers account for significant proportions of infections.
- With only 12% of the world’s population, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to two-thirds (67%) of people living with HIV/AIDS.
- Globally, there were 2.0 million children living with HIV/AIDS; 370,000 were newly infected in 2007. In the same year, 270,000 died of AIDS related causes.
- 15 million children across the world have lost one or both parents to the epidemic; 77% of these orphans living in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Nearly 2 million people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean; 160,000 were newly infected in 2007.
- In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the epidemic has struck 1.5 million people, driven by injecting drug use.
- Asia is believed to have nearly 5 million people living with HIV/AIDS, with India accounting for 2.4 million cases.
- Teens and young adults, particularly girls and young women, continue to be at the center of the epidemic, with 15-24-year-olds accounting for 45% of new HIV infections across the world.
Sources
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Henry Kaiser Family Foundation
National Center for Health Statistics
Averting HIV & AIDS
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