Nigeria vs South Africa: New HIV infections
Nigeria
48,098 infections
in 2024
South Africa
166,536 infections
in 2024
Nigeria rank
4th
South Africa rank
1st
New HIV infections over time
- Nigeria
- South Africa
How they compare
South Africa currently reports 166,536 infections against 48,098 infections in Nigeria, a difference of 118,438 infections.
That makes South Africa's figure about 3.5 times Nigeria's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 35 shared years of data; in 1990 it was Nigeria ahead.
Nigeria ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 1st of 144 countries.
South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Nigeria | South Africa | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 186,960 infections | 377,992 infections | 191,033 infections | South Africa |
| 2000s | 174,471 infections | 459,655 infections | 285,184 infections | South Africa |
| 2010s | 114,085 infections | 277,331 infections | 163,246 infections | South Africa |
| 2020s | 64,042 infections | 181,326 infections | 117,283 infections | South Africa |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher new hiv infections, Nigeria or South Africa?
- South Africa, at 166,536 infections against 48,098 infections in Nigeria as of 2024.
- What is the difference in new hiv infections between Nigeria and South Africa?
- 118,438 infections, with South Africa ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for new hiv infections?
- Nigeria ranks 4th and South Africa ranks 1st of 144 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as New HIV infections. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people newly infected with HIV in the last 12 months. This is the central estimate.