The number of infected children

The number of infected children

The figures below show the number of children (defined by UNAIDS as under-15s) directly affected by HIV and AIDS:

• At the end of 2009, there were 2.5 million children living with HIV around the world.²
• An estimated 400,000 children became newly infected with HIV in 2009.³
• Of the 1.8 million people who died of AIDS during 2009, one in seven were children. Every hour, around 30 children die as a result of AIDS.⁴
• There are more than 16 million children under the age of 18 who have lost one or both parents to AIDS.⁵
• Most children living with HIV ­– almost 9 in 10 – live in sub-Saharan Africa, the region of the world where AIDS has taken its greatest toll.⁶

In countries with an HIV prevalence of above 5%, child mortality rates have not fallen in line with global trends.⁷ This is most probably due to the high risk of mortality associated with untreated HIV infection in young children.