U.S. Statistics

Fast Facts

The information on this page refers to individuals ages 13 and older unless otherwise noted.

• Approximately 1.2 million people in the U.S.^a have HIV. About 13 percent of them don’t know it and need testing.
• HIV continues to have a disproportionate impact on certain populations, particularly racial and ethnic minorities and gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM).^b
• In 2022, an estimated 31,800 people acquired HIV in the U.S.
• Estimated new HIV infections decreased 12% from 36,300 in 2018 to 31,800 in 2022.
• In 2022, 37,981 people aged ≥ 13 and older received an HIV diagnosis in the U.S. and 6 territories and freely associated states.
• HIV diagnoses are not evenly distributed across states and regions. The highest rates of new diagnoses continue to occur in the South.

New HIV Infections (HIV Incidence)

HIV incidence refers to the estimated number of new HIV infections during a specified period (such as a year), which is different from the number of people diagnosed with HIV during a given year. Some people may have HIV for some time but not know it, so the year they are diagnosed may not be the same as the year they acquired HIV.

According to the latest estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 31,800 people acquired HIV in the United States^c in 2022. Annual infections in the U.S. have been reduced by more than two-thirds since the height of the epidemic in the mid-1980s. Further, CDC estimates of annual HIV infections in the United States show hopeful signs of progress in recent years.

CDC estimates show new HIV infections decreased 12% from 2018 (36,200) to 2022 (31,800). The decline was driven by a 30% decrease among young people aged 13-24 years. Increases in pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prescriptions, viral suppression, and HIV testing likely contributed to the decline. Additionally, in the jurisdictions prioritized in the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.(EHE) initiative HIV incidence decreased by 21% among people aged ≥ 13 years in 2022, compared with 2017 (EHE baseline year).

Key Points: HIV Incidence

In 2022, there were 31,800 estimated new HIV infections in the U.S. and the rate was 11.3 (per 100,000 people).

MSM accounted for 67% (21,400) of the 31,800 estimated new HIV infections in 2022 and 87% of estimated infections among all males. In 2022, as compared to 2018, the annual number of HIV infections among MSM decreased 10%.

People who acquired HIV through heterosexual contact accounted for 22% (7,000) of the 31,800 estimated new HIV infections in 2022. Men reporting heterosexual contact accounted for 6% (2,100) of estimated new HIV infections, while women reporting heterosexual contact accounted for 15% (4,900) of estimated new HIV infections. In 2022, as compared to 2018, the annual number of HIV infections among people who acquired HIV through heterosexual contact decreased 11%.

People who inject drugs accounted for 7% (2,300) of the 31,800 estimated new HIV infections in 2022. Men who inject drugs accounted for 4% (1,300) of estimated new HIV infections, while women who inject drugs accounted for 3% (1,000) of estimated new HIV infections. Among people who inject drugs, no changes were detected in the estimated annual number of HIV infections in 2022, compared with 2018.

By age group, the largest number of new HIV infections (12,700) occurred among people aged 25-34. People aged 13 to 24 accounted for 20% (6,400) of the estimated 31,800 new HIV infections in 2022. In 2022, as compared with 2018, the annual number of HIV infections among persons aged 13 to 24 decreased 30%.

By race/ethnicity, according to CDC, in 2022, Black/African American^d persons made up approximately 12% of the population of the United States but accounted for 37% (11,900) of the estimated 31,800 new HIV infections. White persons made up 61% of the population of the United States but accounted for 24% (7,600) of new HIV infections, and Hispanic/Latino^e persons made up 18% of the population of the United States but accounted for 33% (10,500) of HIV infections. Together, Black/African Americans and Hispanic/Latino people made up more than half (70%) of estimated new HIV infections in 2022.

By sex at birth, in 2022, people assigned male at birth accounted for 81% (25,900) of the estimated 31,800 new HIV infections, while people assigned female at birth accounted for 19% (5,900) of new HIV infections. In 2022, as compared to 2016, the annual number of HIV infections among people assigned male at birth decreased 12%, but remained stable among people assigned female at birth. In 2022, the rate for people assigned male at birth (18.6) was 4 times the rate for people assigned female at birth (4.1).

By HIV transmission category, in 2022, 67% of all new HIV infections were among attributed to male-to-male sexual contact. The annual number of HIV infections attributed to male-to-male sexual contact in 2022, compared with 2018, decreased 10% and those attributed to male-to-male sexual contact and inject drug use decreased 27%. All other transmission categories (injection drug use and heterosexual contact) remained stable. According to CDC, in 2022, among males, most HIV infections were attributed to male-to-male sexual contact (83%). Among females, most HIV infectious were attributed to heterosexual contact (83%).

By region, in 2022, the South accounted for approximately half (49%) of the 31,800 estimated new HIV infections. The annual number of infections in the South in 2022, compared in 2018, decreased 18%.

HIV Diagnoses

HIV diagnoses refers to the number of people who have received an HIV diagnosis during a year, regardless of when they acquired HIV. (Some people can live with HIV for years before they are diagnosed; others are diagnosed soon after acquiring HIV.)

According to the latest CDC data, in 2022, 37,981 people aged 13 and older received an HIV diagnosis in the U.S. and 6 territories and freely associated states.^f The annual number and rate of HIV diagnosis in 2022, compared to 2018, remained stable. In 2022, there was a 5% increase from the previous year, which may be due to the post-pandemic effects on the U.S. public health system.

Key Points: HIV Diagnoses

MSM were the population most affected by HIV in the U.S. in 2022.

• In 2022, MSM accounted for 67% (25,422) of new HIV diagnoses in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states.
• In 2022, Black/African American MSM accounted for 35% (8,831) of the 37,981 new HIV diagnoses and 35% of diagnoses among males.
• In 2022, Hispanic/Latino MSM accounted for 37% (9,374) of the 37,981 new HIV diagnoses and 37% of diagnoses among males.

Women (people assigned female sex at birth) accounted for 18% (7,046) of the 37,981 new HIV diagnoses in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states in 2022.

• Black/African American females aged ≥ 13 years accounted for 50% of new HIV diagnoses among people assigned female sex at birth.
• White females aged ≥ 13 years accounted for 24% of diagnoses among people assigned female sex at birth.
• Hispanic/Latino females aged ≥ 13 years accounted for 20% of diagnoses among people assigned female sex at birth.

Transgender and additional gender identity (AGI) people accounted for approximately 2% (994) of the 37,981 new HIV diagnoses in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states in 2022.

• Transgender women^g accounted for 2% (869) of new diagnoses.
• Transgender men^h accounted for less than 1% (66) of new diagnoses.
• Among transgender and AGI people diagnosed in 2022, racial/ethnic disparities exist. Among transgender and AGI people diagnosed in 2022, 40% (396) were Black/African American and 38% (379) were Hispanic/Latino.

People who acquired HIV through heterosexual contact made up 22% (8,495) of the 37,981 HIV diagnoses in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states in 2022.  

• People assigned male sex at birth who acquired HIV through heterosexual contact accounted for 7% (2,660) of new HIV diagnoses.
• People assigned female sex at birth who acquired HIV through heterosexual contact accounted for 15% (5,835) of new HIV diagnoses.

People who inject drugs accounted for 7% (2,650) of the 37,981 HIV diagnoses in the United States in 2022.

• Men who inject drugs accounted for 4% (1,490) of new HIV diagnoses.
• Women who inject drugs accounted for 3% (1,161) of new HIV diagnoses.

By race/ethnicity, Black/African American people and Hispanic/Latino people continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV. Racism, HIV stigma, discrimination, homophobia, poverty, and other barriers to health care continue to drive disparities in HIV diagnoses. According to CDC:

• In 2022, Black/African American people accounted for 38% (14,553) of the 37,981 new HIV diagnoses among persons aged 13 and older, but accounted for approximately 12% of the U.S. population.
• Between 2018 and 2022, diagnoses among Black/African American people ages 13 and older decreased 5%.
• In 2022, Hispanic/Latino people accounted for 32% of new HIV diagnoses (12,167), but according to Census.gov, Hispanic/Latinos (all ages) accounted for approximately 18% of the U.S. population.
• Between 2018 and 2022, diagnoses among Hispanic/Latino people increased 17%.  

By age group, in 2022 people aged 13 to 34 accounted for more than half (56%) of the 37,981 new diagnoses. People aged 25 to 34 represented 37% (14,160) of those newly diagnosed.

By region of residence,ⁱ HIV diagnoses are not evenly distributed regionally. In 2022, among all persons newly diagnosed with HIV^j, 52% (19,793) lived in the South; 21% (7,848) lived in the West; 13% (5,069) lived in the Northeast; 13% (4,891) lived in the Midwest; and 1% (380) lived in the U.S. territories and freely associated states.

Most diagnoses are now highly concentrated in certain geographic areas. The Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.initiative is focused on 48 counties; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Washington, DC, where >50% of HIV diagnoses occurred in 2016 and 2017, along with seven states with a disproportionate occurrence of HIV in rural areas. View these priority jurisdictions.

People Living with HIV

At year-end 2022, an estimated 1.2 million people in the United States aged 13 and older had HIV in the U.S., the most recent year for which this information is available. This includes people with both diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV.

According to the latest CDC data:

• About 13% (158,249) of people with HIV in the U.S. don’t know it and so need testing. Early HIV diagnosis is crucial. Everyone aged 13-64 should be tested at least once. People at higher risk of acquiring (or exposure to) HIV should be tested at least annually. Sexually active gay and bisexual men may benefit from more frequent testing (e.g., every 3-6 months).
• According to another CDC report, for every 100 people with diagnosed HIV in 2022^k, about 76% received some HIV care, 54% were retained in care, and 65% were virally suppressed. Having a suppressed or undetectable viral load protects the health of a person living with HIV, preventing disease progression. There is also a major prevention benefit. People with HIV who take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex. This is often referred to as undetectable = untransmittable or U=U.

At year-end 2022, in the 50 EHE jurisdictions where >50% of HIV diagnoses occurred in 2017, an estimated 638,900 persons aged ≥ 13 years were living with HIV (prevalence), including 567,156 (89%) persons with diagnosed HIV. The percentage of diagnosed infections among persons living with HIV at year-end 2022 increased compared with 2017 (EHE baseline year).

Deaths

In 2022, there were 19,310 deaths among adults and adolescents with diagnosed HIV in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states. These deaths may have been due to any cause.

Need More?

For information about how HIV affects your state or county, visit America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD), an interactive dashboard that lets you examine Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. indicator data for all 50 states with a focus on 57 priority areas. Tracking this data at the community level serves to highlight our progress as a nation.

To learn about the United States’ response to the HIV epidemic, view the National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The Strategy provides stakeholders across the nation with a roadmap to accelerate efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States. The Strategy reflects President Biden’s commitment to re-energize and strengthen a whole-of-society response to the epidemic while supporting people with HIV and reducing HIV-associated morbidity and mortality.

Notes

^a The term United States (U.S.) here refers to the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

^b The term male-to-male sexual contact is used in CDC surveillance systems. It indicates a behavior that transmits HIV infection, not how individuals self-identify in terms of their sexuality. This web content uses the term gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men (MSM).

^c In the HIV Incidence section of this page, the term United States (U.S.) refers to the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

^d The term Black/African American is used in CDC surveillance systems. Black refers to people having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for people of African descent with ancestry in North America.

^e Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.

^f In the HIV Diagnosis section of this page, the term United States (U.S.) refers to the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories and freely associated states of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

^g The term transgender woman is used in CDC surveillance systems. Transgender woman includes individuals who were assigned male sex at birth but have ever identified as female gender.

^h The term transgender man is used in CDC surveillance systems. Transgender man includes individuals who were assigned female sex at birth but have ever identified as male gender.

ⁱ This page uses the regions defined by the U.S. Census Bureau and used in CDC’s National HIV Surveillance System:

Northeast: CT, ME, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT

Midwest: IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI

South: AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV

West: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY.

^j HIV diagnosis estimates here include children (<13 years at diagnosis).

^k HIV care among people with diagnosed HIV in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

Bibliography

CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2022. HIV Surveillance Report 2024;35.

CDC. Estimated HIV incidence and prevalence in the United States 2018–2022. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2024;29(1).

CDC. HV Surveillance Supplemental Report: Monitoring Selected National HIV Prevention and Care Objectives by Using HIV Surveillance Data United States and 6 Territories and Freely Associated States, 2022 HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2024;29(2).

HHS. America’s HIV Epidemic Analysis Dashboard (AHEAD).