Top 10 African countries with the highest number of people living with HIV

Business Insider Africa presents the top 10 African countries with the highest number of people living with HIV.
The list is courtesy of Statista.
South Africa, in particular, stands out as the country with the highest number of people living with HIV in Africa. In 2023, 7.7 million South Africans were living with the virus.

The U.S. State Department has halted the disbursement of funds from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a crucial program providing HIV treatment in Africa and other developing regions, for a minimum of 90 days.

PEPFAR has been one of the most significant global initiatives in combating HIV, helping provide treatment to more than 20 million people worldwide, including over 550,000 children. This abrupt disruption could have devastating consequences, especially for African nations where the HIV epidemic remains a major health crisis.

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According to Statista, Sub-Saharan Africa remains the epicentre of the global HIV epidemic, with millions of people living with HIV and thousands more being newly infected each year.

South Africa, in particular, stands out as the country with the highest number of people living with HIV in Africa. In 2023, 7.7 million South Africans were living with the virus.

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 26 per cent of the population living with HIV.

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Below are the top 10 African countries with the highest number of people living with HIV:

Rank	Country	No of people with HIV
1	South Africa	7,700,000
2	Mozambique	2,400,000
3	Nigeria	1,700,000
4	Uganda	1,500,000
5	Kenya	1,400,000
6	Zambia	1,300,000
7	Zimbabwe	1,300,000
8	Malawi	980,000
9	Ethiopia	610,000
10	Democratic Republic of Congo	520,000

The impact of HIV is not just felt in terms of the number of people infected. The disease remains a leading cause of death in many African countries. In 2023, HIV/AIDS accounted for around 5.6 per cent of all deaths across the continent.

For millions of Africans living with HIV, PEPFAR has been a lifeline, providing access to essential medications and care. The threat of funding cuts to this vital program could roll back years of progress made in the fight against HIV/AIDS.