Global HIV infection and death figures for 2025 released

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) presented its 2026 report, estimating that 1.2 million people acquired HIV and 570 000 died from AIDS‑related causes in 2025 – roughly 3 400 new infections and 1 600 deaths each day. The agency said 8.9 million people living with HIV still lack treatment and about 45 % of children with the virus do not receive antiretroviral drugs. By the end of 2025, 32.1 million people were on treatment, representing 78 % of the 40.9 million living with HIV.

Winnie Byanyima, UNAIDS Executive Director, warned that progress is slowing and that new infections rose in three of five regions and in 21 countries, stressing that “each of these figures is a human life.”

In Uruguay, the Ministry of Public Health reported 739 new HIV diagnoses in 2025, 93 fewer than the previous year, and an estimated 17 000 people living with the virus, 94.8 % of whom know their status. There were 104 AIDS‑related deaths. Men accounted for 70.6 % of new cases, with the highest incidence in Flores, Montevideo, Maldonado, Salto, Artigas and Soriano. Sexual transmission caused 99.68 % of infections; vertical transmission remained below 2 %. A total of 13 033 people were on antiretroviral treatment, representing 80.86 % of those diagnosed.