Epidemiology and Ending the HIV Epidemic

HIV remains a public health issue, with over 39,000 new HIV diagnoses among individuals aged 13 years and older in 2023 within the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states.1

Understanding the epidemiology of HIV is critical to identifying populations with a higher likelihood of HIV acquisition and tailoring prevention efforts.2 Explore current data on HIV prevalence and diagnoses across key demographic subgroups.

Rates of Persons Aged ≥13 Years Living with Diagnosed HIV, Year-End 20231

Prevalence Map of the U.S. showing rates of persons 13 years of age and older living with diagnosed HIV, year-end 2023
American Samoa 2.9
Guam 92.3
Northern Mariana Islands 45.7
Puerto Rico 534.5
Republic of Palau 53.9
U.S. Virgin Islands 635.9

Note: Prevalence data should be interpreted with caution due to use of preliminary death data for the year 2023 reported to CDC as of December 2024.

Rates of HIV Diagnoses Among Persons Aged ≥13 Years, 20231

Incidence Map of the U.S. showing rates of HIV diagnoses among persons 13 years of age or older, 2023.
American Samoa 0.0
Guam 3.1
Northern Mariana Islands 4.8
Puerto Rico 13.5
Republic of Palau 0.0
U.S. Virgin Islands 14.8

HIV Rates by County

Top 5 Counties with Highest Rates of People Living with HIV, 20233

COUNTY STATE RATES/
100,000
Borden Texas 3035
Bronx New York 2438
Stewart Georgia 2381
District of Columbia Washington, DC 2286
Baltimore City Maryland 2225

Top 5 Counties with Highest Rates of New HIV Diagnoses, 20233

COUNTY STATE RATES/
100,000
Stewart Georgia 212
Frio Texas 168
Jones Texas 100
Claiborne Mississippi 96
Butts Georgia 91

AIDSVu.org was developed by the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Estimates of New HIV Diagnoses in the United States by Subgroup

Black/African American people, Latine people, transgender people, and people living in the Southern United States are disproportionately impacted by HIV. These disparities highlight the ongoing need for prioritizied screening, prevention, and care strategies.1,4-6

Race, Ethnicity, Sex, and Gender
Black/African American people make up 12% of the population but account for 38% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023
Latine people make up 18% of the population but account for 34% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023
Black women make up 13% of women but 50% of new HIV diagnoses among women in 2023 (19% of new diagnoses were in women overall)
Of transgender women newly diagnosed with HIV in 2022 39% were Latine and 41% were Black
Region
People living in Southern States make up 39% of the population but account for 51% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023
Sexual Orientation
Men who have sex with men and same-gender-loving men made up 3.4% of the population in 2021 but account for 66% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023
Age
People 13-34 accounted for 55% of new HIV diagnoses in 2023. People 35 and older accounted for 45% of new HIV diagnoses 2023.

Note: HIV diagnoses are among persons aged ≥13 years per the CDC. Latine people can be of any race.1

Ending the HIV Epidemic

The federal Ending the HIV Epidemic initiative, which seeks to reduce new HIV diagnoses by 75% in 2025 and 90% by 2030, centers on 4 key strategies: diagnose, treat, prevent, and respond.7 PrEP plays a critical role in achieving this target by helping to prevent new transmissions through sex before they occur.8

Diagnose all people with HIV as early as possible8

Treat HIV rapidly and effectively to achieve sustained viral suppression8

Prevent people from acquiring HIV using proven prevention interventions, including PrEP8

Respond rapidly to detect and counter growing HIV clusters and prevent new diagnoses8

PrEP Coverage is one of the 6 Ending the Epidemic indicators, and reflects the number of individuals who have been prescribed PrEP divided by the estimated number of individuals with indications for PrEP. While PrEP use has increased over time, the 2025 goal for 50% PrEP coverage is not on track to be met. There continues to be inequalities in PrEP use.9,10

Estimated PrEP Coverage in the United States by Race or Ethnicity, 20229,10
36% overall, 13% Black/African American, 24% Hispanic/Latine, 94% White. 2025 goal for Ending HIV Epidemic in the U.S. is 50%

Data are preliminary per the CDC.

Without intervention, another 400,000 Americans will be newly diagnosed with HIV over 10 years despite the available tools that can help prevent HIV, like PrEP7

PrEP Uptake in the United States

Approximately 2.2 million individuals in the US were estimated in 2023 to be in need of PrEP.11 Black and Hispanic/Latine individuals have disproportionately higher rates of HIV and also are prescribed PrEP at lower rates compared to White individuals.12

PnR by Race Over Time, 2012-20243

Chart showing the PrEP-to-Need ratio by race over time, 2012 to 2024.

AIDSVu.org was developed by the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc.

While the rate of PrEP use has increased consistently across all races and ethnicities, with a 17% increase between 2023 and 2024,14 equity in PrEP use by race and ethnicity has decreased over time,13 and only 36% of individuals who may need or want PrEP were prescribed it in 202210

In a cross-sectional pharmacoequity analysis (459,984 PrEP users), inequities in mean number of days covered by dispensed PrEP prescriptions by sex, race/ethnicity, and age group were identified. Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic/Latine people, and young individuals (aged <16 years) had fewer dispensed days of coverage than White non-Hispanic and older individuals (P<0.01).15

Chart showing the mean number of days on oral PrEP (2022 data)

Significant differences in PrEP coverage may indicate low persistence and point to opportunities to address and monitor PrEP equity.15

MSM, men who have sex with men; SGL, same-gender-loving.

References:

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV diagnoses, deaths, and prevalence: 2025 update. Updated April 29, 2025. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/hiv-data/nhss/hiv-diagnoses-deaths-and-prevalence-2025.html
  2. Silhol R, Anderson RL, Stevens O, et al. Measuring HIV acquisitions among partners of key populations: estimates from HIV transmission dynamic models. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2024;95(1S):e59-e69. doi:10.1097/QAI.0000000000003334
  3. AIDSVu. Tools & resources. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://aidsvu.org/resources/#/datasets
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. HIV surveillance report: diagnoses, deaths, and prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states, 2022. Published May 21, 2024. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/156509
  5. U.S. Census Bureau. United States population growth by region. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://www.census.gov/popclock/data_tables.php?component=growth
  6. Bennett BW, DuBose S, Huang YA, et al. Population percentage and population size of men who have sex with men in the United States, 2017–2021: meta-analysis of 5 population-based surveys. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2024;10:e56643. doi:10.2196/56643
  7. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. EHE overview. Updated September 18, 2025. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/ending-the-hiv-epidemic/overview
  8. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Key EHE strategies. Updated July 15, 2024. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://www.hiv.gov/federal-response/ending-the-hiv-epidemic/key-strategies
  9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US goals. Updated March 20, 2024. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/ehe/php/about/goals.html
  10. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Expanding PrEP coverage in the United States to achieve EHE goals. Published October 17, 2023. Accessed September 18, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/director-letters/expanding-prep-coverage.html
  11. Kourtis AP, Wiener J, Zhu W, et al. Estimating the population need for preexposure prophylaxis for HIV in the United States. Ann Epidemiol. 2025;106:48-54. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2025.04.017
  12. AIDSVu. AIDSVu releases 2024 PrEP use data showing growing use across the U.S. Published June 26, 2025. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://aidsvu.org/news-updates/aidsvu-releases-2024-prep-use-data-showing-growing-use-across-the-u-s/
  13. AIDSVu. PrEP use in black communities. Accessed October 1, 2025. https://aidsvu.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/PrEP-Black-Communities-06242024.png
  14. AIDSVu. Deeper look: PrEP. Accessed September 5, 2025. https://aidsvu.org/resources/deeper-look/prep/
  15. Sullivan PS, Juhasz M, Le G, Brisco K, Dubose S. Association of state-level PrEP coverage and state-level HIV diagnoses, US, 2012-2021. Poster presented at: Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections; March 3-6 2024; Denver, CO.