The 2025 National HIV Estimates and Projections show that Ghana recorded a significant decline in new HIV infections with cases declining from 16,189 in 2024 to 13,951 during the year.
The projections made by the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) also shows a reduction in AIDS-related deaths from 13,429 in 2024 to 12,051 in 2025 representing a decline of nearly 14 per cent of deaths within a year
Mr Isaiah Doe Kwao, Director for Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RM&E) who presented the estimates in Accra on Monday said the progress made was due to the impact of sustained investments in HIV testing, treatment, and care.
He said Ghana’s HIV response was yielding results, although more work remained to achieve the goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
The report estimated that 337,435 people of all ages are currently living with HIV in Ghana, comprising 315,513 adults aged 15 years and above and 21,922 children aged below 15 years.
It showed that among adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, 19,528 are living with HIV, while the number of young people aged 15 to 24 years living with the virus stands at 33,317.
Dr Kharmacelle Akanbong, Director General of the GAC said preventing new HIV infections remains central to Ghana’s HIV response because every new infection represents another person who will require lifelong treatment and care.
He said while the country was making steady progress, epidemic control would only be achieved when new HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths declined to very low levels.
“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 said.
Dr Akanbong said new HIV infections are projected to reduce from 13,951 in 2025 to about 6,430 by 2030, while AIDS-related deaths are expected to fall from 12,051 to approximately 4,893 during the same period provided prevention programmes, testing services and treatment coverage continue to improve.
The 2025 Estimates also show that the country’s adult HIV prevalence among persons aged 15 to 49 years has also continued its downward trend, reducing from 1.79 per cent in 2015 to 1.40 per cent in 2025 with a further projected decline to 1.18 per cent by 2030.
The GAC Director General attributed the positive trend largely to increased access to antiretroviral medicines, early initiation of treatment, and improved retention of patients in care.
He said Ghana must however intensify efforts to identify undiagnosed infections, sustain public awareness campaigns, expand HIV testing, and ensure uninterrupted availability of life-saving medicines.
He said continued collaboration among government agencies, development partners, health workers, and communities would be essential for Ghana to sustain the gains made and achieve the global target of eliminating HIV and AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
