Ghana Battles HIV/AIDS With 17,774 New Infections In 2023

Data from the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections showed 17, 774 people- 6,457 males and 11, 317 females- became newly infected with HIV in that year. 

The number comprises 4,869 youth between 15 and 24, 1,698 children under 15, 1,520 adolescents between 10 and 19, and 16,076 adults above 15. 

Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, Director General of the Ghana AIDS Commission who disclosed this in Accra on Wednesday, said that the projection showed a 14.8 per cent decrease in new infections between 2013 and 2023 

Ghana in 2023

• New HIV infections: 17,774
  • By age group:
    • 15-24 years: 4,869
    • Under 15 years: 1,698
    • 10-19 years: 1,520
    • Over 15 years: 16,076
• People living with HIV: 334,095
  • By age group:
    • Under 14 years: 17,550
    • 10-19 years: 16,381
    • 15-24 years: 33,245
    • Over 15 years: 316,545
• HIV prevalence increase (2013-2023): 9%
• AIDS-related deaths: 12,480
• Progress towards 95-95-95 targets:
  • 95% diagnosed: 65.3%
  • 95% virally suppressed: 69.4%
  • 95% aware of their status on ART: 89.0%

Key takeaways

• There were 17,774 new HIV infections in Ghana in 2023.
• The number of people living with HIV in Ghana is 334,095.
• Despite a 14.8% decrease in new infections since 2013, Ghana did not achieve its annual target of a 17% reduction.
• Most people living with HIV are between 15 and 49 years old, the economically active population of the country.
• Ghana is making progress towards the 95-95-95 targets, but there is still room for improvement.

Call to action

Stopping the spread of HIV and improving access to treatment should be a national priority in Ghana.