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HIV/AIDS Epidemic Timeline

(1981 - Present)

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is one of the most significant public health crises in modern history. First identified in the early 1980s, HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) attacks the immune system and can lead to AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome). The epidemic has claimed over 40 million lives worldwide, but advances in antiretroviral therapy have transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable chronic condition. This timeline traces key scientific discoveries, public health milestones, and social movements that shaped the global response to the disease. Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Origins and Discovery

HIV-1 group M may originate in Kinshasa

1920

One reconstruction of HIV's genetic history suggests that HIV-1 group M, the strain most responsible for the global epidemic, may have originated in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, around 1920.

Image source: HIV/AIDS

HIV-1 group M may originate in Kinshasa

AIDS first recognized

1981

AIDS was first recognized in 1981, marking the beginning of the global pandemic of HIV/AIDS, which remains an ongoing worldwide public health issue.

HIV discovered as cause of AIDS

1983

In 1983, HIV was discovered and identified as the cause of AIDS, a crucial scientific breakthrough that enabled testing, research, and eventually treatment for the disease.

Response and Treatment

AVERT charity founded

1986

AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS charity created in 1986, makes continuous efforts to prioritize, normalize, and provide the latest information and education programs on HIV and AIDS for individuals and areas most affected by this disease worldwide.

UN Special General Assembly on HIV/AIDS

Jun 2001

In June 2001, the United Nations held a Special General Assembly to intensify international action to fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic as a global health issue, mobilizing resources needed towards this aim and labelling the situation a 'global crisis'.

Image source: United Nations General Assembly

UN Special General Assembly on HIV/AIDS

PEPFAR expands testing and treatment reach

Sep 30, 2019

PEPFAR provided HIV testing services for 79.6 million people in Fiscal Year 2019 and, as of 30 September 2019, supported lifesaving antiretroviral therapy for nearly 15.7 million men, women, and children.

Image source: President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

PEPFAR expands testing and treatment reach

4 million people access antiretroviral therapy

Dec 31, 2019

As of the end of 2019, 25.4 million people with HIV (67%) were accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART) globally, reflecting major progress in expanding treatment worldwide.

Image source: Management of HIV/AIDS

4 million people access antiretroviral therapy

Global Statistics

First decline in new HIV/AIDS cases

1996

1996 marked the first year since the beginning of the epidemic that the number of new HIV/AIDS cases declined, signaling early progress against the pandemic.

Global incidence of HIV peaks at 3.3 million per year

1997

The 2015 Global Burden of Disease Study estimated that the global incidence of HIV infection peaked in 1997 at 3.3 million new infections per year. A significant 47% decline compared to the previous year was also reported in 1997.

Image source: Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS

Global incidence of HIV peaks at 3.3 million per year

Global incidence falls to about 2.6 million per year

2005

Global incidence of HIV fell rapidly from 1997 to 2005, reaching about 2.6 million new infections per year.

Annual AIDS deaths begin continual decline

2005

Annual AIDS deaths have been continually declining since 2005 as antiretroviral therapy has become more widely available around the world.

New infections fall 23% from 2010 to 2020

2010 - 2020

Incidence of HIV has continued to fall, decreasing by 23% from 2010 to 2020, with progress dominated by decreases in Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. However, infections increased by 21% in Latin America, 22% in the Middle East and North Africa, and 72% in Eastern Europe and central Asia.

About 37.9 million people living with HIV worldwide

2018

Worldwide, there were about 1.7 million new cases of HIV reported in 2018. About 37.9 million people were living with HIV around the world, 24.5 million of them receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). Roughly an estimated 770,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses in 2018.

38 million people living with HIV globally

2019

There were approximately 38 million people across the globe with HIV/AIDS in 2019, and approximately 81% of people with HIV globally knew their HIV status. In the United States, approximately 1.2 million people had HIV.

About 630,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2022

2022

There were about 630,000 deaths from HIV/AIDS in 2022, continuing the decline in annual AIDS deaths as antiretroviral therapy has become more widely available.

4 million deaths and 39 million infections by 2023

2023

According to the World Health Organization, by 2023, HIV/AIDS had killed approximately 40.4 million people, and approximately 39 million people were infected with HIV globally, with about 1.3 million new infections per year.

Regional Impact

WHO estimates untested blood transfusions in Africa

2000

In 2000, the World Health Organization estimated that 25% of the units of blood transfused in Africa were not tested for HIV, and that 10% of HIV infections in Africa were transmitted via blood.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in Africa

WHO estimates untested blood transfusions in Africa

Nigeria has an estimated 3.6 million infections

Dec 31, 2003

Although HIV infection rates are much lower in Nigeria than in other African countries, the size of Nigeria's population meant that by the end of 2003, there were an estimated 3.6 million people infected.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in Nigeria

Nigeria has an estimated 3.6 million infections

South Africa reaches 5.5 million people with HIV

2005

UNAIDS estimates that in 2005 there were 5.5 million people in South Africa infected with HIV — 12.4% of the population. A UNAIDS graph showed 4.2 million people living with HIV in 2005, an increase of 400,000 since 2003.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in South Africa

South Africa reaches 5.5 million people with HIV

Russia reports over 450,000 HIV cases

2010

By 2010 the number of reported HIV cases in Russia was over 450,000 according to the World Health Organization, up from 15,000 in 1995 and 190,000 in 2002.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in Russia

Russia reports over 450,000 HIV cases

HIV becomes endemic in sub-Saharan Africa

2011

As of 2011, HIV infection was becoming endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to just over 12% of the world's population but two-thirds of people who are infected with HIV.

Eastern Europe and Central Asia epidemic grows

Dec 2011

There is growing concern about a rapidly growing epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where an estimated 1.23–3.7 million people were infected as of December 2011, though the adult (15–49) prevalence rate is low (1.1%).

Image source: HIV/AIDS in Europe

Eastern Europe and Central Asia epidemic grows

Asian needle-exchange programs meet WHO standard early

2015

In 2015, Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Indonesia, Nepal, and Thailand all achieved the 200 needles distributed per person who injects drugs standard set by the WHO five years before the 2020 goal. Countries in the region saw decreases in AIDS-related deaths and new infections from 2010 to 2015, except Indonesia.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in Asia

Asian needle-exchange programs meet WHO standard early

Canada reports about 63,110 HIV cases

2016

In Canada in 2016, there were about 63,110 cases of HIV, with approximately 9,090 persons living with undiagnosed HIV at the end of the year. Prevalence is increasing most rapidly amongst Indigenous Canadians, with 11.3% of new infections in 2016.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in Canada

Canada reports about 63,110 HIV cases

More than two-thirds of people with HIV live in Africa

2020

In 2020, more than two thirds of those living with HIV were living in Africa. In eastern and southern Africa, new infections fell by 38% from 2010 to 2020; 88% of people living with HIV in this region knew their status, and 67% had suppressed viral loads.

UK records 106,890 people living with HIV

2020

In 2020, 106,890 people were living with HIV in the UK and 614 died, 99 of these from COVID-19 comorbidity. In Australia, there were about 29,090 cases in 2020.

South Africa has largest HIV population worldwide

2022

South Africa has the largest population of people with HIV of any country in the world, at 8.45 million, 13.9% of the population as of 2022. As of 2022, the adult HIV prevalence rate in sub-Saharan Africa is estimated at 6.2%, a 1.2% increase from 2011 data.

United States

Review finds high HIV rates among transgender women

2008

A 2008 review of HIV studies among transgender women found that 28 percent tested positive for HIV, highlighting heightened vulnerability within this population.

Image source: HIV/AIDS in the United States

Review finds high HIV rates among transgender women

African Americans account for about half of US cases

2010

In 2010, African Americans made up 10% of the United States population but about half of the HIV/AIDS cases nationwide, underscoring stark racial disparities in the epidemic.

White House commissions working group on women and HIV

2013

In 2013, the White House commissioned an Interagency Federal Working Group to address the intersection of violence and women infected with HIV, following a 2012 meta-analysis showing trauma rates far above national averages among HIV-positive women.

US regional diagnosis rates highest in the South

2015

Regionally, the population rates (per 100,000 people) of persons diagnosed with HIV infection in 2015 were highest in the South (16.8), followed by the Northeast (11.6), the West (9.8), and the Midwest (7.6).

Gay and bisexual men account for most US diagnoses

2018

In 2018, gay and bisexual men accounted for 69% of the 37,968 new HIV diagnoses and 86% of diagnoses among males in the United States, while heterosexuals accounted for 24% of new diagnoses.

Key Facts

  1. HIV was first identified as the cause of AIDS in 1983-1984 by researchers in France and the United States, several years after the first cases were reported in 1981.
  2. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), introduced in the mid-1990s, transformed HIV from a death sentence into a manageable chronic condition for those with access to treatment.
  3. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the hardest-hit region, accounting for roughly two-thirds of all people living with HIV worldwide.
  4. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), approved by the FDA in 2012, is highly effective at preventing HIV transmission when taken consistently.
  5. UNAIDS has set ambitious targets to end the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Source

This HIV/AIDS Epidemic timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

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