Nigeria vs South Africa: People living with HIV/AIDS, total

Nigeria
2.90 million low estimate
in 2009
South Africa
5.40 million low estimate
in 2009
Nigeria rank
2nd
South Africa rank
1st

People living with HIV/AIDS, total over time

  • Nigeria
  • South Africa
02.0M4.0M6.0M199019992009

How they compare

South Africa currently reports 5.40 million low estimate against 2.90 million low estimate in Nigeria, a difference of 2.50 million low estimate.

That makes South Africa's figure about 1.9 times Nigeria's.

The two have swapped places 2 times across 20 shared years of data; in 1990 it was South Africa ahead.

Nigeria ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 1st of 48 countries.

South Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Nigeria South Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 951,000 low estimate 1.45 million low estimate 499,000 low estimate South Africa
2000s 2.55 million low estimate 4.97 million low estimate 2.42 million low estimate South Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people living with hiv/aids, total, Nigeria or South Africa?
South Africa, at 5.40 million low estimate against 2.90 million low estimate in Nigeria as of 2009.
What is the difference in people living with hiv/aids, total between Nigeria and South Africa?
2.50 million low estimate, with South Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Nigeria and South Africa?
20 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2009.
How do Nigeria and South Africa rank globally for people living with hiv/aids, total?
Nigeria ranks 2nd and South Africa ranks 1st of 48 countries.
Where does this data come from?
UNAIDS and the WHO's Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic, published as People living with HIV/AIDS, total (low estimate). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Nigeria vs South Africa: People living with HIV/AIDS, total. Statizoid, drawing on UNAIDS and the WHO's Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/people-living-with-hiv-aids-total-low-estimate/nigeria/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
People living with HIV/AIDS, total (low estimate)
Unit
low estimate
Source
UNAIDS and the WHO's Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
54 places, 1,080 data points, 1990–2009
Last refreshed

Estimated total number of people with HIV/AIDS is the number of people living with HIV. Depending on the reliability of the data available, there may be more or less uncertainty surrounding each estimate.