UNAIDS 2026 estimates show children remain far less likely than adults to be diagnosed, treated and virally suppressed
By Bunmi Yekini
An estimated 2.27 million children and adolescents aged up to 19 were living with HIV worldwide in 2025, while about 240,000 acquired the virus and 74,000 died from AIDS-related causes, new global estimates showed.
The figures underline persistent gaps in the global HIV response, particularly among children, who remain significantly less likely than adults to know their HIV status or receive life-saving treatment.
Among children aged 0–14, an estimated 1.26 million were living with HIV in 2025. About 93,000 acquired the virus during the year, while 61,000 died from AIDS-related causes.
That translates to roughly 255 children acquiring HIV and 167 dying from AIDS-related illnesses every day, according to the estimates.
Diagnosis and treatment coverage among children also lagged far behind that of adults.
Globally, only 65% of children aged 0–14 living with HIV knew their status, compared with 89% of adults. About 55% of children were receiving antiretroviral treatment, against 79% of adults.
Just 47% of children living with HIV had achieved viral suppression, highlighting continuing challenges in ensuring consistent treatment and preventing illness and further transmission.
The estimates come at a critical moment for the global HIV response, as reductions in international financing and disruptions to prevention and community-based services threaten to reverse gains made in recent years.
The UNAIDS Special Report for AIDS 2026, released at the International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro, warned that such disruptions could have particularly serious consequences for children and adolescents, who already face some of the widest gaps in HIV diagnosis and treatment.
The report identified four priorities for strengthening the response: eliminating vertical transmission of HIV while advancing the triple elimination of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B; closing treatment gaps through earlier diagnosis and improved paediatric care; preventing new infections among adolescents, particularly girls; and protecting progress through better use of data and increasingly limited resources.
Health advocates say timely monitoring will be crucial as countries navigate a changing funding landscape, with the ability to quickly identify service disruptions likely to determine whether recent progress can be sustained for the world’s youngest people living with HIV.