Orphans 0-17 years currently living (high estimate) by country
AIDS orphans are the estimated number of children who have lost their mother or both parents to AIDS before age 17 since the epidemic began in 1990. Some of the orphaned children included in this cumulative total are no longer alive; others are no longer under age 17.
What the numbers show
Orphans 0-17 years currently living (high estimate) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 3.10 million high estimate in Nigeria; the lowest is 1,000 high estimate in Mauritius.
The median across all reporting countries is 140,000 high estimate, and the mean is 430,142 high estimate.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3,100.
Over the past decade 34 countries rose and 4 fell. The largest increase was in Sierra Leone (up 642.9%), and the largest decrease in Benin (down 55.8%).
Orphans 0-17 years currently living: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 3.10 million high estimate | 2009 | up 106.7% | volatile |
| 2 | South Africa | 2.40 million high estimate | 2009 | up 515.4% | volatile |
| 3 | Tanzania | 1.50 million high estimate | 2009 | up 82.9% | volatile |
| 4 | Uganda | 1.40 million high estimate | 2009 | unchanged | rising |
| 4 | Kenya | 1.40 million high estimate | 2009 | up 66.7% | volatile |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 1.20 million high estimate | 2009 | up 64.4% | volatile |
| 7 | Zambia | 810,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 15.7% | rising |
| 8 | Malawi | 780,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 73.3% | volatile |
| 9 | Mozambique | 620,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 416.7% | volatile |
| 10 | Côte d’Ivoire | 550,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 52.8% | volatile |
| 11 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 510,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 21.4% | rising |
| 12 | Cameroon | 420,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 133.3% | volatile |
| 13 | Burundi | 230,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 76.9% | volatile |
| 14 | Ghana | 210,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 110.0% | rising |
| 15 | Angola | 200,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 141.0% | volatile |
| 16 | Central African Republic | 180,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 97.8% | rising |
| 16 | Rwanda | 180,000 high estimate | 2009 | down 18.2% | rising |
| 18 | Chad | 170,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 150.0% | volatile |
| 18 | Burkina Faso | 170,000 high estimate | 2009 | unchanged | rising |
| 20 | Lesotho | 160,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 332.4% | volatile |
| 21 | Botswana | 120,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 155.3% | volatile |
| 21 | Guinea | 120,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 26.3% | flat |
| 23 | Namibia | 96,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 269.2% | volatile |
| 24 | Mali | 93,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 25.7% | rising |
| 25 | Togo | 89,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 161.8% | rising |
| 26 | Eswatini | 86,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 273.9% | volatile |
| 27 | Liberia | 76,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 322.2% | volatile |
| 28 | Niger | 68,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 518.2% | volatile |
| 29 | Congo | 66,000 high estimate | 2009 | down 7.0% | rising |
| 30 | Benin | 53,000 high estimate | 2009 | down 55.8% | volatile |
| 31 | Eritrea | 28,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 100.0% | volatile |
| 32 | Sierra Leone | 26,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 642.9% | volatile |
| 33 | Gabon | 25,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 252.1% | volatile |
| 33 | Senegal | 25,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 216.5% | volatile |
| 35 | Madagascar | 14,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 16.7% | rising |
| 36 | Guinea-Bissau | 12,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 380.0% | volatile |
| 37 | Gambia | 6,500 high estimate | 2009 | down 3.0% | falling |
| 38 | Equatorial Guinea | 6,400 high estimate | 2009 | up 540.0% | volatile |
| 39 | Mauritania | 4,800 high estimate | 2009 | up 200.0% | volatile |
| 40 | Mauritius | 1,000 high estimate | 2009 | up 100.0% | rising |
Regions and income groups
Aggregates are excluded from the country ranking above so that a region can never outrank a country.
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 17.20 million high estimate
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa 14.81 million high estimate
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa and Nigeria 11.71 million high estimate
About this data
AIDS orphans are the estimated number of children who have lost their mother or both parents to AIDS before age 17 since the epidemic began in 1990. Some of the orphaned children included in this cumulative total are no longer alive; others are no longer under age 17.