Countries with the highest number of AIDS-related deaths 2021

In 2021, South Africa and Nigeria had the highest number of deaths due to AIDS worldwide with around 51 thousand such deaths each. African countries account for eight of the top 10 countries with the highest number of AIDS-related deaths worldwide. AIDS-related deaths worldwide have been gradually declining over the past decade, decreasing from 1.5 million deaths in 2010 to 680 thousand deaths in 2020.

HIV/AIDS

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is an infectious sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted via exposure to infected semen, blood, vaginal and anal fluids and breast milk. HIV weakens the human immune system, resulting in the affected person being unable to fight off opportunistic infections. The top 15 countries worldwide with the highest prevalence of new HIV infections as of 2020 were all African.

HIV treatment

Although there is currently no effective cure for HIV, death can be prevented by taking HIV antiretroviral therapy (ART). Access to antiretroviral therapy worldwide has significantly increased in the past decade. As of 2021, around 28.7 million people with HIV worldwide were receiving ART. The leading countries with the highest percentage of HIV-infected children who were receiving ART were Eswatini, Kenya, and Lesotho.