Basic Statistics

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HIV and AIDS remain a persistent problem for the United States and countries around the world. While great progress has been made in preventing and treating HIV, there is still much to do. The questions in this section provide a broad overview of the effects of HIV and AIDS in the United States and globally. For more detailed analysis of HIV data and its impact in the United States, visit our Statistics Center.

How many people receive an HIV diagnosis each year in the United States and 6 dependent areas?

In 2018, 37,968 people received an HIV diagnosis in the United States and dependent areas.a The annual number of new diagnoses decreased 7% from 2014 to 2018.

a American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.

How many people have HIV in the United States?

An estimated 1.2 million people in the United Statesa had HIV at the end of 2018, the most recent year for which this information is available. Of those people, about 14%, or 1 in 7, did not know they had HIV.

a In the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

How does HIV affect different groups of people?

There are different ways to answer this question.

In 2018, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with mena accounted for 69% of all new HIV diagnoses in the United States and 6 dependent areas.b,c In the same year, heterosexuals made up 24% of all HIV diagnoses.

New HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas by transmission category, 2018.

This chart represents new HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas by transmission category in 2018. Male-to-male sexual contact equals 66 percent (24,933), heterosexual contact equals 24 percent (9,008), injection drug use equals 7 percent (2,492), male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use equals 4 percent (1,372).

Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2018 (updated). HIV Surveillance Report 2020;31.

If we look at HIV diagnoses by race and ethnicity, we see that blacks/African Americans are most affected by HIV. In 2018, adult and adolescent blacks/African Americans accounted for 42% of all new HIV diagnoses. Additionally, Hispanics/Latinos are also strongly affected. They accounted for 27% of all new HIV diagnoses.

New HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas by race/ethnicity, 2018.

This chart represents new HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas by race and ethnicity in 2018. Blacks/African Americans equals 42 percent (16,002), Hispanics/Latinos equals 27 percent (10,246), Whites equals 25 percent (9,560), Multiple Races equals 2 percent (944), Asians equals 2 percent (875), American Indians/Alaska Natives equals less than 1 percent (186), Native Hawaiians/Other Pacific Islanders equals less than 1 percent (68). Footnotes state Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America. Hispanics/Latinas can be of any race.

*Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America.
†Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2018 (updated). HIV Surveillance Report 2020;31.

The most affected subpopulation is black/African American gay and bisexual men.

New HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas for the Most-Affected Subpopulations, 2018

This chart represents new HIV diagnoses in the US and dependent areas for the most-affected subpopulations in 2018. Black/African American, Male-to-Male Sexual Contact equals 25 percent (9,444), Hispanic/Latino, Male-to-Male Sexual Contact equals 20 percent (7,653), White, Male-to-Male Sexual Contact equals 17 percent (6,372), Black/African American Women, Heterosexual Contact equals 10 percent (3,758), Black/African American Men, Heterosexual Contact equals 5 percent (1,739), Hispanic Women/Latinas, Heterosexual Contact equals 3 percent (1,109), White Women, Heterosexual Contact equals 3 percent (956). Footnotes state Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America. Hispanics/Latinas can be of any race.

*Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America.
†Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.
Subpopulations representing 2% or less of all people who received an HIV diagnosis in 2018 are not represented in this chart.
Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2018 (updated). HIV Surveillance Report 2020;31.

There are also variations by age. Young people aged 13 to 24 are especially affected by HIV. In 2018, young people accounted for 21% of all new HIV diagnoses. All young people are not equally at risk, however. Young gay and bisexual men accounted for 83% of all new HIV diagnoses in people aged 13 to 24 in 2018 (includes young gay and bisexual men who inject drugs). Young black/African American gay and bisexual men are even more severely affected, as they represented 42% of new HIV diagnoses among young gay and bisexual men.

CDC’s fact sheets explain the impact of HIV on various populations in the United States.

a The term male-to-male sexual contact is used in CDC surveillance systems. It indicates a behavior that transmits HIV infection, not how individuals self-identify in terms of their sexuality. This web content uses the term gay and bisexual men.
b American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.
c Includes infections attributed to male-to-male sexual contact and injection drug use (men who reported both risk factors).

How many deaths are there among people with HIV?

In 2018, there were 15,820 deaths among adults and adolescents with diagnosed HIV in the United States and 6 dependent areas.a These deaths may be due to any cause.

a American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.

Do some parts of the country have more HIV than other parts?

Yes. HIV is largely an urban disease, with most cases occurring in metropolitan areas with 500,000 or more people. The South has the highest number of people living with HIV, but if population size is taken into account, the Northeast has the highest rate of people living with HIV. (Rates are the number of cases of disease per 100,000 people. Rates allow number comparisons between groups of different sizes.)

HIV in the United States by Region is a fact sheet that explains the geography of HIV in the United States.

What about HIV around the world?

HIV disease continues to be a serious health issue for parts of the world. Worldwide, there were about 1.7 million new cases of HIV in 2018. About 37.9 million people were living with HIV around the world in 2018, and 24.5 million of them were receiving medicines to treat HIV, called antiretroviral therapy (ART). An estimated 770,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic. Sub-Saharan Africa is the region most affected by HIV and AIDS worldwide, and accounts for about 61% of all new HIV infections. Other regions significantly affected by HIV and AIDS include Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia.

CDC’s Global AIDS website explains what CDC is doing in the global response to HIV and AIDS.

Interested in learning more about CDC's HIV statistics?
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Page last reviewed: October 22, 2020
Content source: Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention