As the world marks World AIDS Day on 1 December 2025, the campaign’s theme, “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response” represents the coexistence of progress and pressure. According to global reports, HIV transmission continues in every country, with an estimated 40.8 million people living with the virus in 2024, most of them in the WHO African Region. While HIV had been reduced to a manageable chronic condition with access to effective treatment, international agencies warn that the gains made over the course of decades are being tested by recent financial and structural strains.
According to data from 2024, 87% of individuals living with HIV were aware of their status, 77% were on antiretroviral therapy, and 73% had reduced their viral loads. The numbers represent steady advancement but fall short of the 95-95-95 targets set for 2025. Funding cuts, disruptions to preventative services, and the deprioritization of community-led programs have been considered persistent hindrances, particularly in contexts where punitive laws affect access to proper care. UNAIDS leadership has spoken on the urgency for coordinated action, stating that in a time of crisis the world must “choose transformation over retreat.”
The message from the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, also recognised the pressure that mounts between long-term progress and present-day constraints. He noted that new infections have fallen significantly since 2010 and that deaths have declined more than half, yet millions still lack timely access to services because of geography, identity, or stigma. His call to “ensure new tools like injectables reach more people in need” represents the persevering momentum behind the medical innovations that still continue to develop the field.
Advances in long-acting HIV treatments, expanded PrEP options, and improvements in rapid diagnostics are helping widen access and simplify care. Research into vaccines and cure-focused strategies, including gene-editing approaches, continues to move forward, offering potential long-term breakthroughs even as existing tools remain central to prevention and treatment.
Under the additional campaign message “Zero AIDS Deaths by 2030,” this year’s observance focuses attention on people living with advanced HIV disease and the need for systems capable of protecting them. Governments, health professionals, and communities are encouraged to sustain investment, strengthen rights-based approaches, and support innovations that maintain continuity of care.
