South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV in the world. UNAIDS/WHO estimate that at the end of 2007 there were 5.7 million people living with HIV in the country, including 3.2 million women and 280,000 children (ages 0-14)
HIV prevalence among women attending antenatal clinics was 29% in 2006, compared to 30.2% in 2005. Among adults (ages 15-49) HIV prevalence was recorded as 18.1% in 2007.
Evidence points to a significant decline in HIV prevalence among young people (below age 20), where prevalence was 13.7% in 2006 compared to 15.9% in 2005
There is significant variation in HIV prevalence by province, ranging from 39.1% in KwaZulu-Natal to 15.1% in Western Cape. Inter-district HIV prevalence variation in the country is between 46% and 5.3%
As in most Southern African countries, women in South Africa are disproportionally affected by HIV. It is estimated that young women (age 15-24) are four times more likely to be infected with HIV than their male counterparts
At the end of 2007 there were 460,000 people on antiretroviral treatment, which is equivalent to 28% coverage.
