AVERT - AVERTing HIV and AIDS

The latest statistics on AIDS & HIV in the UK were published in August 2009 by the Health Protection Agency.1

There has been a dramatic increase in the number of women diagnosed with HIV. In the years up to and including 1993, females accounted for 13% of HIV diagnoses, but in 2008 that figure was 37%. This is due predominantly to the rise in the number of women becoming infected through heterosexual contact.

Despite comprising less than 1% of the total UK population, Black-Africans accounted for one third of all new HIV diagnoses in 2009. White males and females accounted for 46% of HIV diagnoses in the same year yet make up more than 90% of the population. Heterosexual contact is by far the most likely transmission route for Black-Africans, and furthermore, more Black-African women have been diagnosed in the UK (20,071) than Black-African men (10,234). In contrast, sex between men accounts for the majority of infections (71%) among white people, with nearly 90% of all diagnoses among white people being attributed to men.

Those aged between 25 and 39 account for over 60% of total HIV diagnoses.

UK HIV diagnoses, by race, 1995 to 2008

Individuals diagnosed with HIV in the UK by ethnicity

UK HIV diagnoses, by race and transmission route, 1995 to end of June 2009

Ethnicity Sex between men Hetero- sexual contact Injecting drug use Mother to infant Recipient of blood/tissue products Other/ undetermined Total
White 24,350 6,846 1,856 91 114 938 34,195
Black-African 527 30,307 74 1,192 164 354 32,618
Black-Caribbean 740 1,765 35 16 14 64 2,634
Black-other 320 699 32 0 2 61 1,114
Asian 435 810 24 29 38 82 1,418
Other/mixed 1,620 1,251 136 154 25 101 3,287
Not reported 908 753 155 14 19 1,659 3,508
Total 28,900 42,431 2,312 1,496 376 3,259 78,774

See more UK statistics by transmission route

UK HIV diagnoses, by race and gender, 2008

White Black-African Black-Caribbean Black Other Asian Other Mixed Not reported
Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male Female
2,728 384 919 1,710 120 96 72 73 138 59 248 98 389 264
HIV diagnoses in the UK by race and gender, 2007

UK HIV diagnoses, by age group, all years until the end of June 2009

Total Uk HIV diagnoses, by age, bar chart

UK HIV diagnoses, AIDS cases and deaths by sex and year of diagnosis or death

Year of diagnosis HIV AIDS Deaths*
Male Female Total† Male Female Total Male Female Total‡
1984 or earlier 1,496 108 1,612 154 7 161 ? ? 89
1985 3,069 149 3,223 237 10 247 ? ? 152
1986 2,510 255 2,767 461 13 474 ? ? 319
1987 2,199 302 2,509 659 22 681 ? ? 417
1988 1,720 231 1,953 870 38 908 ? ? 481
1989 1,872 269 2,145 1,017 66 1,083 ? ? 744
1990 2,176 371 2,552 1,145 97 1,242 ? ? 894
1991 2,282 450 2,732 1,254 139 1,393 1,054 91 1,145
1992 2,202 545 2,748 1,406 173 1,579 1,164 89 1,253
1993 2,137 534
 2,672 1,568 241 1,809 1,416 165 1,581
1994 2,264 551 2,816 1,645 232 1,877 1521 183 1,704
1995 2,320 611 2,931 1,511 285 1,796 1,498 222 1,720
1996 2,269 634 2,903 1,196 274 1,470 1,255 224 1,479
1997 2,156 690 2,847 883 222 1,105 595 151 747
1998 2,138 774 2,913 619 197 816 417 97 514
1999 2,248 1,014
 3,264 586 206 792 390 81 471
2000 2,531 1,419 3,950 622 263 885 386 98 484
2001 3,147 2,002
 5,150 524 260 784 357 118 475
2002 3,637 2,685 6,322 621 359 980 413 106 519
2003 4,091 3,282 7,373 575 447 1,022 405 166 571
2004 4,534 3,315 7,849 570 404 974 343 149 492
2005 4,705 3,270 7,975
 581 339 920 445 148 593
2006 4,564 3,044 7,608 490 338 828 406 149 555
2007 4,739 2,756 7,495 491 257 748 403 163 566
2008 4,614 2,684 7,298 382 229
 611> 387 138 525
2009 (until June) 1,891 1,005 2,896 134 64 198 135 72 207
Total 72,751 32,833 105,625 20,275 5,195 25,470 16,019 2,765 18,787

* Includes all deaths of people diagnosed with HIV, with or without a reported AIDS diagnosis; † Includes 41 HIV diagnoses with sex not stated on the report; ‡ Includes 3 deaths with sex not stated on the report

Sources:

  1. Health Protection Agency Centre for Infections and Health Protection Scotland (2009, August). Unpublished HIV Diagnoses Surveillance Tables 01:2009
  2. For total cases of HIV, AIDS and deaths in individuals with HIV, data is taken from new diagnoses reports since 2000.

Last updated July 27, 2010