New HIV infections in South Africa
South Africa: New HIV infections was 166,536 infections in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
166,536 infections
Change on year
down 3.4%
World rank
1st
of 144 countries
All-time high
540,760 infections
in 1999
All-time low
124,330 infections
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024
New HIV infections in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in infections.
Analysis
In 2024, new hiv infections in South Africa stood at 166,536 infections.
That represents a change of down 3.4% on the previous year and down 41.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, new hiv infections in South Africa peaked at 540,760 infections in 1999 and was at its lowest, 124,330 infections, in 1990.
That places South Africa 1st out of 144 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
New HIV infections in South Africa, year by year
| Year | infections | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 124,330 infections | — |
| 1991 | 179,101 infections | +44.1% |
| 1992 | 244,992 infections | +36.8% |
| 1993 | 315,990 infections | +29.0% |
| 1994 | 384,050 infections | +21.5% |
| 1995 | 442,128 infections | +15.1% |
| 1996 | 489,652 infections | +10.7% |
| 1997 | 522,050 infections | +6.6% |
| 1998 | 536,869 infections | +2.8% |
| 1999 | 540,760 infections | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 534,033 infections | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 517,757 infections | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 499,886 infections | -3.5% |
| 2003 | 485,021 infections | -3.0% |
| 2004 | 473,551 infections | -2.4% |
| 2005 | 455,877 infections | -3.7% |
| 2006 | 439,090 infections | -3.7% |
| 2007 | 418,529 infections | -4.7% |
| 2008 | 398,231 infections | -4.8% |
| 2009 | 374,575 infections | -5.9% |
| 2010 | 351,128 infections | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 330,069 infections | -6.0% |
| 2012 | 314,294 infections | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 299,320 infections | -4.8% |
| 2014 | 283,387 infections | -5.3% |
| 2015 | 273,189 infections | -3.6% |
| 2016 | 256,249 infections | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 235,320 infections | -8.2% |
| 2018 | 222,178 infections | -5.6% |
| 2019 | 208,179 infections | -6.3% |
| 2020 | 197,228 infections | -5.3% |
| 2021 | 189,479 infections | -3.9% |
| 2022 | 181,052 infections | -4.4% |
| 2023 | 172,334 infections | -4.8% |
| 2024 | 166,536 infections | -3.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 377,992 infections | 124,330 infections | 540,760 infections | 10 |
| 2000s | 459,655 infections | 374,575 infections | 534,033 infections | 10 |
| 2010s | 277,331 infections | 208,179 infections | 351,128 infections | 10 |
| 2020s | 181,326 infections | 166,536 infections | 197,228 infections | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More health data for South Africa
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -2.2 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.1386 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,152 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 3,333 deaths (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.5504 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.045 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate 0.0003 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is new hiv infections in South Africa?
- New hiv infections in South Africa was 166,536 infections in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest new hiv infections recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 540,760 infections in 1999.
- What is the lowest new hiv infections recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 124,330 infections in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for new hiv infections?
- South Africa ranks 1st out of 144 countries with data for 2024.
- Is new hiv infections rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 41.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of New HIV infections. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Number of people newly infected with HIV in the last 12 months. This is the central estimate.