Which are the countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world.
It is never easy to write about these things, since researching about them does not simply include basic facts, definitions, and statistics, but also coming across certain personal stories which can be quite hard to read. Similarly as people with cancer and other terminal illnesses, people with AIDS still hopefully wait for the doctors around the world to find a solution and cure for their medical condition. Until now, unfortunately, everything they tried was unsuccessful. Before I go deeper into the issue, I would just like to make sure that everyone understands the difference between HIV and AIDS, since I have noticed that somewhere they are used to describe the same condition, which is definitely not correct. In short, HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks human body and the syndrome or medical condition named AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) appears in the final stages of HIV infection. To get to know about this issue better, make sure to read our list of 10 Countries with the Highest HIV Rates in Europe.
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It is also really important to note that HIV cannot be transmitted from one person to another like any other virus, unless there is a contact with body fluids from a person who is already infected, including blood, vaginal fluids, semen, breast milk, rectal fluids and pre-seminal fluids. The virus attacks cells known as CD4, and since they are crucial when it comes to fighting infections, the immune system immediately weakens and becomes impotent to fight it. However, certain treatments help the virus stagnate at certain stages, and it is possible for it not to progress into the stage of AIDS. Regarding the global statistics, there are 36.7 million of people with AIDS in the world, counting around 1.8 million of HIV-positive children aged 15 or less, who were most likely infected through their mothers. Not surprising is the fact that most of these people actually live in very poor or middle-income countries, and around 66% of infected people are from sub-Saharan Africa. Regarding America, the number of HIV-positive people was 39,513 in 2015, but the most important thing is the fact that a gradual decline of 19% was noticed throughout the period from 2005 to 2014.
The most relevant pieces of information are actually provided by the Central Intelligence Agency, although they haven’t been updated from 2014. However, since it is a very short period of time, nothing much could be changed, so I decided to use it them while making the list. They provide the adult prevalence rate, that is, the percentage of adults aged 15 to 49 who live with HIV/AIDS. I also found the visual portrayal by the World Health Organization quite useful in this case for the purpose of comparison. To provide the additional information regarding different countries and statistics, I used the information established by WHO and UNAIDS, depending on the country. It is important to note that there are hardly any data that treat AIDS separately from the other stages of HIV, so the numbers usually give the insight into HIV/AIDS infections. So, let’s see which are the countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world.
15. The Central African Republic
Adult prevalence rate: 4.25%
It has been estimated that 300,000 people in this country are infected with HIV/AIDS and that the most vulnerable groups are young people that are 15–35 years old, and young women aged 15 to 24 are also considered to be at a very high risk. The year of 2003 was the most critical in this regard since there were around 23,000 of AIDS-related deaths.
14. Cameroon
Adult prevalence rate: 4.77%
Regarding Cameroon, there are estimations that around 620,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS and that almost half of them are women older than 15. When it comes to children who are infected, the number goes up to 39,000. The most vulnerable group are actually young teenage girls, where the number is as twice as big in comparison to teenage boys living with HIV/AIDS.
13. Kenya
Adult prevalence rate: 5.30%
The number of people with HIV/AIDS infection in Kenya is around 1.6 million, with the obvious gender gap in this regard as well. It has been estimated that the percentage of HIV-positive women is 7.6%, making them more vulnerable in comparison to men, with the rate of 5.6%. When it comes to AIDS-related deaths in this country, the number is estimated to be around 36,000.
12. Tanzania
Adult prevalence rate: 5.34%
1.4 million of people infected with HIV/AIDS live in Tanzania, and the number of AIDS-related deaths was around 36,000 in 2015. The number of women infected is 6.3%, while the number of men is 3.9%, making women again more prone to this infection. The most important to note is the fact that there is a decrease in the number of new infections, considering the fact it declined by more than 20% within the period of 2010 to 2015.
11. Equatorial Guinea
Adult prevalence rate: 6.16%
Around 110,000 people in Equatorial Guinea are HIV/AIDS infected, and the most vulnerable category in this country are also young people aged 15-24. The number of AIDS-related deaths in Equatorial Guinea is 1,100. More than 65% of AIDS cases are actually women, but the most concerning is the fact that the number of infected people actually increased by 2% in the last two years.
10. Uganda
Adult prevalence rate: 7.25%
It has been estimated that around 1.5 million of people in Uganda are infected with HIV/AIDS and that the number of AIDS-related deaths is around 28,000, which is a huge number. Young girls are the most vulnerable category, and when it comes to HIV prevalence among people aged 15-25, it is 3.72% for women and 2.32% for men.
9. Malawi
Adult prevalence rate: 10.04%
Around 980,000 people in Malawi, the next one on our list of countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world are HIV/AIDS infected, while the number of AIDS-related deaths is 27,000. Again, there is a huge disproportion in the number of infected people when it comes to men and women since HIV prevalence is 12.8% among women and 8.2% among men.
8. Mozambique
Adult prevalence rate: 10.58
It has been estimated that around 1.6 million of people are currently infected with the HIV/AIDS in Mozambique and that there are more than 800,000 women overall. The number of AIDS-related deaths is estimated to be around 39,000, while the number of children infected is 110,000, being the reason why this country is on the list of countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world.
7. Zambia
Adult prevalence rate: 12.37%
Around 1.2 million of people are HIV/AIDS infected in Zambia and the number of AIDS-related deaths in this country is around 20,000. The most critical category are actually young people aged 20-24, out of whom there are 11.2% women and 7.3% men infected. However, the most important is actually the fact that the number of people with HIV/AIDS is decreasing, falling by 19% between 2003 and 2015.
6. Namibia
Adult prevalence rate: 15.97%
We are continuing our list of countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world with Namibia that is also the country where the issue of HIV/AIDS is one of the most critical public issues, considering the fact that there are around 210,000 of infected people. The number of women, in this case, is 120,000 while the number of AIDS-related deaths is 3,100. The number of children up to 14 who live with AIDS is 10,000.
5. Zimbabwe
Adult prevalence rate: 16.74%
The estimated number of people who are HIV/AIDS affected in this country number 5 on our list of countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world is 1.4 million, while the number of AIDS-related deaths is 29,000. The number of infected women in Zimbabwe is estimated to be 790,000, while the percentage of young people aged 15-24 is 4.1. However, the number of new infections decreased from 79,000 in 2010 to 64,000 in 2015, which is a result in some of the changes in governmental approach to this issue.
4. South Africa
Adult prevalence rate: 18.92%
Out of 54.96 million of people who live in South Africa, it has been estimated that 7 million are HIV/AIDS infected, which is a devastating fact. The number of AIDS-related deaths is also very huge, even up to 180,000. Generally speaking, the country is aware of this horrible data, investing around $1.5 billion annually for the HIV and AIDS programs. The women and young girls are the most vulnerable category as well, and the number in their case is nearly twice as high as that of infected men.
3. Lesotho
Adult prevalence rate: 23.39%
Around 310,000 people in this African country that ranks 3rd on our list of countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world is considered to be HIV/AIDS infected, and the number of AIDS-related deaths goes up to 18,000. The HIV-prevalence among women in Lesotho is again disproportional in comparison to men, since the number is 30%, while prevalence among men is around 19% in the same period.
2. Botswana
Adult prevalence rate: 25.16%
The number of people who are HIV/AIDS infected in this country goes up to 350,000, while the number of AIDS-related deaths is around 3,200. It is important to note that Botswana, the number two on our list of countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world was among the first countries to enable free antiretroviral treatment to its HIV-positive residents, making a significant decrease in AIDS-related deaths. Again, women are the most vulnerable category, since HIV prevalence rate among them is 20.8%, while it is 15.6% among men.
1. Swaziland
Adult prevalence rate: 27.73%
Among 1.287 million of people who live in Swaziland, 220,000 of them are HIV/AIDS infected, while the number of AIDS-related deaths is 3,800. There is also a huge disproportion in numbers when it comes to gender since the number of infected women is 120,000, which would be 31%, compared to 20% of men on the other side. The fact that Swaziland has 27.73% of HIV/AIDS infected people brought it to the first place among the countries that have the most AIDS cases in the world.
