Did You Know?

Facts about the global AIDS crisis

When considering statistics about HIV/AIDS, it is important to remember that each number represents a person who is a member of a family and has a community in which he or she lives.

Most statistics are for December 2000. They were compiled from documents and publications of UNAIDS, UNICEF, WHO, USAID, The World Bank and radio reports.

Compiled by Caryl Weinberg and Janet Guyer
Worldwide Ministries Division AIDS Task Team
tel. (888) 728-7228, x5882

General Information

• 36.1 million people are living with HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that 5.3 million of these became infected in 2000.
• Of the estimate 15,000 new infections per day in 2000
  • 95% were in developing countries
  • 1,700 were children under 15 years
  • 13,000 were people between the ages of 15 and 49 years
• 1/3 of all infections are in people between the ages of 15 and 24
• Every minute, 6 young people below the age of 25 become infected
• To date, more than 21.8 million people have died of AIDS. 3 million of these died in 2000
• On the African continent nearly 15 million people have died of AIDS since the early 1980's
• Of the 2.8 million people who died of AIDS in 1999, 79% were African
• Each day, 3,500 people in India become infected
• In the average country, the annual treatment cost of AIDS is about 2.7 times the Gross National Product (GNP).

Children

• 1/3 of babies born to HIV infected mothers will be HIV infected
• 1.4 million children are infected by HIV
• 4.3 million children have died of AIDS
• 13.2 million children, 14 years or younger have been orphaned by AIDS, 12.1 million of these live in Sub Saharan Africa
• More than 860,000 children in 10 African countries lost their teacher last year to AIDS
• When a mother becomes debilitated by AIDS, her children are more likely to miss immunizations against childhood diseases, eat fewer and less nutritious meals and be taken out of school, especially if they are girls, to assume household responsibilities.

Together, we can make a difference

Nanasi

Update on HIV/AIDS Activities for Kenyan Church Health Programs.