United States of America HIV & AIDS Statistics

back to top Introduction

1.3 million people are living with HIV in the United States of America, with a fifth unaware of their status.¹ Since the epidemic began, an estimated 1,155,792 people in the USA have been diagnosed with AIDS.²

In 2011:

• 49,273 people were diagnosed with HIV infection in the 46 states which report diagnoses.³
• 32,052 people throughout the USA were diagnosed with AIDS.⁴

All following statistics on this page have been sourced from the 'Diagnoses of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011' report, published by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in February 2013.⁵

back to top HIV incidence

The estimated amount of new infections each year, calculated with mathematical modelling.⁶

back to top HIV diagnoses by transmission route

- 'Other' includes haemophilia, blood transfusion, perinatal exposure, and exposure category not reported or not identified.
- Diagnoses are from 46 states and 5 U.S. dependent areas.⁷

back to top HIV diagnoses by race / ethnicity

- Diagnoses are from 46 states and 5 U.S. dependent areas.⁸

back to top HIV diagnoses by age

- Diagnoses are from 46 states and 5 U.S. dependent areas.⁹

back to top Interpreting HIV & AIDS statistics for the USA

In order to monitor the spread of the American HIV and AIDS epidemic and to assess the need for services and resources, there is a need for accurate surveillance. In the USA, statistics on both HIV and AIDS are collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and published in an annual report. The latest statistics on HIV and AIDS in the USA were published in February 2013.¹⁰

The CDC surveillance report includes data on the number of people diagnosed with AIDS, the number living with AIDS and the number of people with AIDS who have died or survived. Such AIDS statistics include not only the 50 states and the District of Columbia but also dependent areas - Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the USA Virgin Islands. HIV statistics are based on data from these five USA dependent areas and only 40 states that have used confidential name-based HIV infection reporting for a significant period of time. States and areas that use confidential name-based HIV infection reporting take personal details after diagnosis of HIV infection. When this data is submitted to the CDC all personal identifying information is removed. These states comprise Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

In recent years the use of antiretroviral therapy has slowed the progression of HIV in many infected persons and hence contributed to a decline in AIDS incidence. This means that AIDS surveillance data are less able to represent trends in the incidence of HIV infection or the impact of the epidemic on the healthcare system. In response, all 50 states have now implemented confidential name-based HIV infection reporting. However, only 40 states have been doing so long enough for the CDC to apply statistical adjustments. The HIV Surveillance Report for 2012 (published in 2014) will be the first time HIV data from all 50 states will be included.

In order to make better use of the data collected, the CDC has made a number of changes from previous reports, including replacing the older definition 'HIV/AIDS' with 'diagnosis of HIV infection'. 'Summary of Changes to the National HIV Surveillance Report' contains more information. The term 'living with AIDS' includes every living person who has ever received an AIDS diagnosis, regardless of their current state of health. The term 'living with a diagnosis of HIV infection' includes every living person with a diagnosis of HIV infection regardless of stage of disease at diagnosis.

There is often a delay between the time of diagnosis of HIV or AIDS, or the time of death, and the time at which the event is reported. For this reason the CDC estimates the number of people living with HIV or AIDS by adjusting for reporting delays. No adjustment is made for incomplete reporting.

'Adults and adolescents' are defined as persons aged 13 years or more. The term 'transmission route' refers to the most probable route of transmission of HIV infection. The term 'male-to-male sexual contact' includes gay men, bisexual men and some men who consider themselves to be neither gay nor bisexual. The 'heterosexual contact' category comprises persons who report specific heterosexual contact with a person with, or at high risk for, HIV infection (e.g., an injecting drug user). This does not include adults and adolescents born in, or who had sex with someone born in, a country where heterosexual transmission was believed to be the main mode of HIV transmission, unless they meet the criteria stated in the previous sentence.

For more detailed USA statistics, see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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References back to top

1. UNAIDS (2012) 'UNAIDS Global Report 2012: AIDSinfo'
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Basic Statistics'
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Basic Statistics'
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Basic Statistics'
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Diagnoses of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011'
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Diagnoses of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011'
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Diagnoses of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011'
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Diagnoses of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011'
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Diagnoses of HIV Infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011'
10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013) 'Diagnoses of HIV infections and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2011'