UN Report Says HIV Funding Cuts Reversed Progress on Infections and Deaths

A United Nations report released Friday states that global HIV funding fell 23 percent last year, the sharpest drop on record, and attributes the decline to aid reductions by multiple countries. The report says the cuts produced the largest recorded disruption to HIV programs since coordinated international efforts began.

It links the funding loss to interruptions in antiretroviral treatment and prevention services in high-burden countries.

HIV infections among women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa reached 3,000 per week, according to the report. Infections also increased in Latin America, the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia. Registered AIDS-related deaths totaled at least 570,000 in 2025, more than double the target set for that year.

The report notes that testing volumes fell nearly 25 percent in high-burden settings, suggesting the actual numbers may be higher.

Uptake of daily oral PrEP declined nearly 40 percent between 2024 and 2025 across 62 reporting countries. Funding for condoms dropped more than 90 percent in some locations. A long-acting injectable prevention drug reached an initial target of two million people, far below the stated goal of 20 million.

Clinics serving criminalized populations closed after losing external support, leaving some individuals without medication.

The report states that decades of progress have been reversed and that ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 will require renewed resource commitments. It notes that at least 32 million lives have been saved through treatment access since coordinated efforts began.