Share of people educated on HIV in Belgium, by age 2018

In 2018, the level of knowledge on HIV and AIDS was slightly higher in Belgians aged 35 to 54. On the other hand, the lowest share of people with valid knowledge on the matter was aged 75 or older. In Belgium, 35 percent of people aged between 15 to 24 years old had valid knowledge of HIV and AIDS. From a national perspective, knowledge regarding HIV and AIDS was rather limited in 2018. Indeed, less than half of Belgians, aged over 15, were well educated in terms of HIV.

In 2018, around 90 percent of people aged 75 and older did not know that fidelity or the use of condoms were effective prevention methods against HIV. However, their lack of education could also translate into them holding false beliefs. Such erroneous beliefs can be that a healthy-looking person can not have AIDS, or that HIV can be transmitted by embracing, shaking the hand, or drinking from the glass of a person with AIDS.