25 lakh Indians living with HIV, second highest globally: Report
Written By : Anshika Mishra
Published On 2025-12-04 12:45 GMT | Update On 2025-12-04 13:19 GMT
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India is home to an estimated 25.61 lakh people living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2024, making it the country with the second largest PLHIV population globally. According to a government report released on World AIDS Day, India’s annual HIV incidence rate remains low at 0.05 per 1,000 uninfected population, and adult HIV prevalence is 0.20%. Heterosexual transmission accounted for 73% of new infections, followed by injecting drug use (11.5%), homosexual/bisexual transmission (5.4%), and vertical transmission (3.5%).
Maharashtra (3.99 lakh), Andhra Pradesh (3.10 lakh), and Karnataka (2.91 lakh) report the highest PLHIV burdens, with nine states comprising 74% of India’s total cases, the Medical Buyer reported.
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