South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: People living with HIV/AIDS, total

South Africa
5.40 million low estimate
in 2009
Sub-Saharan Africa
20.21 million low estimate
in 2009
South Africa rank
1st
Sub-Saharan Africa rank
2nd

People living with HIV/AIDS, total over time

  • South Africa
  • Sub-Saharan Africa
05.0M10.0M15.0M20.0M199019992009

How they compare

Sub-Saharan Africa currently reports 20.21 million low estimate against 5.40 million low estimate in South Africa, a difference of 14.81 million low estimate.

That makes Sub-Saharan Africa's figure about 3.7 times South Africa's.

Across all 20 years both countries report, Sub-Saharan Africa has been ahead every year.

South Africa ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd of 48 countries.

Sub-Saharan Africa has averaged higher in every one of the 2 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade South Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Difference Ahead
1990s 1.45 million low estimate 9.76 million low estimate 8.31 million low estimate Sub-Saharan Africa
2000s 4.97 million low estimate 18.84 million low estimate 13.87 million low estimate Sub-Saharan Africa

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher people living with hiv/aids, total, South Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa?
Sub-Saharan Africa, at 20.21 million low estimate against 5.40 million low estimate in South Africa as of 2009.
What is the difference in people living with hiv/aids, total between South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
14.81 million low estimate, with Sub-Saharan Africa ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa?
20 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2009.
How do South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa rank globally for people living with hiv/aids, total?
South Africa ranks 1st and Sub-Saharan Africa ranks 2nd 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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South Africa vs Sub-Saharan Africa: People living with HIV/AIDS, total. Statizoid, drawing on UNAIDS and the WHO's Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. Retrieved 15 September 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/compare/people-living-with-hiv-aids-total-low-estimate/south-africa/sub-saharan-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.