Orphans 0-17 years currently living (low 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 (low estimate) is currently reported for 40 countries. The highest value is 1.80 million low estimate in Nigeria; the lowest is 500 low estimate in Mauritius.
The median across all reporting countries is 75,000 low estimate, and the mean is 280,932 low estimate.
The gap between the highest and lowest reporting country is a factor of about 3,600.
Over the past decade 39 countries rose and 1 fell. The largest increase was in Sierra Leone (up 1,740.0%), and the largest decrease in Rwanda (down 18.3%).
Orphans 0-17 years currently living: full country ranking
| # | Country | Latest | Year | 10-year change | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nigeria | 1.80 million low estimate | 2009 | up 757.1% | volatile |
| 2 | South Africa | 1.60 million low estimate | 2009 | up 595.7% | volatile |
| 3 | Tanzania | 1.10 million low estimate | 2009 | up 111.5% | volatile |
| 4 | Uganda | 1.00 million low estimate | 2009 | up 37.0% | rising |
| 5 | Kenya | 980,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 117.8% | volatile |
| 6 | Zimbabwe | 910,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 97.8% | volatile |
| 7 | Zambia | 570,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 111.1% | volatile |
| 8 | Malawi | 540,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 134.8% | volatile |
| 9 | Mozambique | 400,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 525.0% | volatile |
| 10 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 350,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 40.0% | rising |
| 11 | Côte d’Ivoire | 330,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 200.0% | volatile |
| 12 | Cameroon | 270,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 474.5% | volatile |
| 13 | Burundi | 170,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 100.0% | volatile |
| 14 | Ghana | 120,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 380.0% | volatile |
| 15 | Central African Republic | 110,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 233.3% | volatile |
| 15 | Lesotho | 110,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 450.0% | volatile |
| 17 | Burkina Faso | 100,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 16.3% | volatile |
| 18 | Rwanda | 98,000 low estimate | 2009 | down 18.3% | rising |
| 19 | Angola | 95,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 427.8% | volatile |
| 20 | Chad | 79,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 338.9% | volatile |
| 21 | Botswana | 71,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 153.6% | volatile |
| 22 | Eswatini | 55,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 323.1% | volatile |
| 23 | Namibia | 50,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 316.7% | volatile |
| 24 | Niger | 47,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 494.9% | volatile |
| 24 | Togo | 47,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 683.3% | volatile |
| 26 | Congo | 41,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 51.9% | volatile |
| 27 | Mali | 36,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 339.0% | volatile |
| 28 | Guinea | 34,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 314.6% | volatile |
| 28 | Liberia | 34,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 541.5% | volatile |
| 30 | Benin | 18,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 592.3% | volatile |
| 31 | Senegal | 15,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 233.3% | volatile |
| 32 | Gabon | 12,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 300.0% | volatile |
| 32 | Eritrea | 12,000 low estimate | 2009 | up 400.0% | volatile |
| 34 | Madagascar | 9,300 low estimate | 2009 | up 32.9% | rising |
| 35 | Sierra Leone | 9,200 low estimate | 2009 | up 1,740.0% | volatile |
| 36 | Guinea-Bissau | 7,700 low estimate | 2009 | up 670.0% | volatile |
| 37 | Mauritania | 2,700 low estimate | 2009 | up 170.0% | volatile |
| 38 | Equatorial Guinea | 2,500 low estimate | 2009 | up 1,150.0% | volatile |
| 39 | Gambia | 1,400 low estimate | 2009 | up 180.0% | volatile |
| 40 | Mauritius | 500 low estimate | 2009 | up 400.0% | volatile |
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) 11.23 million low estimate
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa 9.64 million low estimate
- Sub-Saharan Africa excluding South Africa and Nigeria 7.84 million low 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.