Share of the population living with HIV in South Africa
South Africa: Share of the population living with HIV was 17.2% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of the population living with HIV in South Africa, 1990–2024
Source: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of the population living with hiv in South Africa stood at 17.2%.
That represents a change of down 2.1% on the previous year and down 6.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of the population living with hiv in South Africa peaked at 18.6% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 1.5%, in 1990.
That places South Africa 2nd out of 150 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Share of the population living with HIV in South Africa, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1.5% | — |
| 1991 | 2.3% | +54.3% |
| 1992 | 3.3% | +45.9% |
| 1993 | 4.6% | +38.1% |
| 1994 | 6.0% | +31.2% |
| 1995 | 7.5% | +25.3% |
| 1996 | 9.0% | +20.4% |
| 1997 | 10.4% | +15.9% |
| 1998 | 11.7% | +12.4% |
| 1999 | 12.9% | +9.5% |
| 2000 | 13.8% | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 14.5% | +5.3% |
| 2002 | 15.1% | +3.9% |
| 2003 | 15.5% | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 15.8% | +2.0% |
| 2005 | 16.1% | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 16.3% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 16.6% | +1.5% |
| 2008 | 16.8% | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 17.1% | +1.6% |
| 2010 | 17.4% | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 17.7% | +1.5% |
| 2012 | 17.9% | +1.3% |
| 2013 | 18.1% | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 18.3% | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 18.5% | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 18.6% | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 18.6% | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 18.6% | -0.1% |
| 2019 | 18.5% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 18.4% | -0.9% |
| 2021 | 18.2% | -1.2% |
| 2022 | 17.9% | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 17.6% | -1.8% |
| 2024 | 17.2% | -2.1% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 6.9% | 1.5% | 12.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.8% | 13.8% | 17.1% | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.2% | 17.4% | 18.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.8% | 17.2% | 18.4% | 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)
- Population ages 60-64, female, annual growth rate 1.27 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, female, per capita 0.0197 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, annual growth rate 0.6835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 60-64, male, per capita 0.015 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of the population living with hiv in South Africa?
- Share of the population living with hiv in South Africa was 17.2% in 2024, according to Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of the population living with hiv recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 18.6% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of the population living with hiv recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.5% in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank for share of the population living with hiv?
- South Africa ranks 2nd out of 150 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of the population living with hiv rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Share of the population living with HIV. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of people aged 15-49 who test positive for HIV at a given time. This is the central estimate.