Summary
- In 2025, 41 million people were living with HIV globally, while 32.1 million were on antiretroviral therapy (ART).
- The treatment gap has narrowed sharply since 2010, when only 7.6 million of 32.5 million PLHIV received ART.
- Despite this progress, 78% coverage means nearly 9 million people living with HIV still lack life-saving treatment.
Statistical Analysis
According to UNAIDS 2026 estimates, the number of people living with HIV (PLHIV) has grown steadily from 32.5 million in 2010 to 41 million in 2025. Over the same period, access to antiretroviral therapy has expanded dramatically, rising from 7.6 million people in 2010 to 32.1 million in 2025.
This means ART coverage has grown from roughly 23% of all PLHIV in 2010 to 78% in 2025. The absolute number of people on treatment has more than quadrupled in 15 years, representing one of the fastest scale-ups of any chronic disease intervention in modern public health history.
However, the treatment gap tells a different story. In 2010, approximately 24.9 million people living with HIV had no access to treatment. By 2025, that figure had fallen to approximately 8.9 million. While the proportional gap has narrowed substantially, the absolute number of untreated people remains high enough to sustain transmission and preventable death.
The chart shows a critical insight: PLHIV and ART coverage are both rising, but the lines are not converging fast enough. Coverage must reach the UNAIDS 95% target to end AIDS as a public health threat. At the current pace, nearly 1 in 5 people living with HIV globally still does not receive treatment.
Policy Insights
Global progress on HIV treatment is real and significant, but it remains incomplete. Closing the remaining treatment gap requires focused investment and policy reform.
- Governments and international donors should prioritise closing the 22% treatment gap, particularly for children and men who have lower coverage rates than adult women.
- Countries with the largest absolute gaps, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia-Pacific, need sustained financing commitments as international HIV funding declined 18% in 2025.
- National HIV programmes should integrate community-based testing and treatment linkage strategies to reach the people currently outside health systems.