Ghana Records Drop in HIV Infections and AIDS Deaths as 2025 Estimates Show Progress

Ghana has recorded a significant decline in new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, according to the 2025 National HIV Estimates and Projections Report released by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC).

The report indicates that new HIV infections reduced from 16,189 cases in 2024 to 13,951 cases in 2025, while AIDS-related deaths also declined from 13,429 to 12,051 during the same period, representing nearly a 14 per cent reduction.

Presenting the estimates in Accra on Monday, July 20, the Director for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) at the Ghana AIDS Commission, Isaiah Doe Kwao, said the improvement reflects the impact of sustained investments in HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services across the country.

According to him, the figures show that Ghana’s HIV response is achieving meaningful results, although more work remains to be done to meet the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

“Ghana’s HIV response is making progress, but we still have more work to do to reach epidemic control and ensure that no one is left behind,” Mr Kwao said.

The 2025 estimates revealed that approximately 337,435 people of all ages are currently living with HIV in Ghana.

Out of this figure:

• 315,513 are adults aged 15 years and above
• 21,922 are children below 15 years

The report also showed that 19,528 adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 years are living with HIV, while young people aged 15 to 24 years account for 33,317 cases.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kharmacelle Akanbong, stressed that preventing new HIV infections remains a major priority in Ghana’s fight against the epidemic.

He explained that every new infection increases the number of people who require lifelong treatment and healthcare support.

Dr Akanbong noted that although Ghana has made steady progress, achieving epidemic control will require further reductions in both new infections and AIDS-related deaths.

“Epidemic control means new infections and AIDS deaths must continue to come down. There should ideally be no new infections, although that is difficult to achieve. The objective is to reduce them to the lowest possible level,” he stated.

The GAC Director-General projected that with continued investment in prevention programmes, testing services and treatment coverage, new HIV infections could fall further from 13,951 in 2025 to about 6,430 by 2030.

He also projected that AIDS-related deaths could reduce from 12,051 in 2025 to approximately 4,893 by 2030.

The report further showed that Ghana’s adult HIV prevalence rate among persons aged 15 to 49 years has continued to decline, moving from 1.79 per cent in 2015 to 1.40 per cent in 2025, with projections indicating a further drop to 1.18 per cent by 2030.

Dr Akanbong attributed the decline in HIV prevalence to improved access to antiretroviral medicines, early treatment initiation and better retention of patients receiving HIV care.

However, he warned that challenges remain, especially in identifying people who are unaware of their HIV status, expanding access to testing services and ensuring a consistent supply of essential HIV medicines.

He called for stronger cooperation among government agencies, development partners, healthcare professionals and communities to sustain the progress made and bring Ghana closer to achieving the global target of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.

Sourc:Citinewsroom