Rivers State, Benue State, and Akwa Ibom—at 208,767, 202,346 and 161,597, respectively with Rivers State leading Benue with 6,421.
The most recent spectrum estimates from the National Agency for the Control of AIDS put the number of individuals living with HIV in Nigeria’s three states—Rivers State, Benue State, and Akwa Ibom—at 208,767, 202,346 and 161,597, respectively with Rivers State leading Benue with 6,421.
More than two million people in Nigeria are HIV positive, highlighting the critical importance of ongoing prevention efforts, comprehensive testing, and consistent treatment availability.
Lagos, comes fourth with 108,649 cases, followed by Anambra with 100,429 and the Federal Capital Territory [83,333]. Other states with high range includes, Delta [68,170], Imo [67,944], Enugu [61,028], Edo [60,095], and Taraba [58,460].
The mid range states includes, Abia (54,655), Kaduna (54,458), Kano (53,972), Plateau (51,736), Borno (50,433), and Oyo (50,063).
The lower range states includes, Kwara (20,259), Kebbi (19,339), Ekiti (18,857), Sokoto (15,223), Ebonyi (14,151), Zamfara (13,253), and Yobe (11,956).
HIV-related causes killed 43,683 Nigerians last year, including 28,589 adults (13,650 males and 14,939 females) and 15,094 children aged 0–14.
Despite these devastating losses, 1,753,425 HIV-positive people—1,693,457 adults (579,209 males and 1,114,401 females) and 54,983 children—now know their status.
Coverage of antiretroviral medication has increased to 1,735,808 people—1,690,057 adults (577,632 males and 1,112,425 females) and 45,751 children. From 1,160,256 patients on therapy, 1,112,339 had viral suppression, showing the impact of scale-up.
Nigerians were given reassurance by Dr. Temitope Ilori, Director-General of the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACA), that the Federal Government had gathered resources to prevent any drug shortages.
Ilori said, “The Federal Executive Council approved $1.07 billion for healthcare reform under the Human Capital Opportunities for Prosperity and Equity programme, alongside ₦4.8 billion for HIV treatment. The National Assembly also allocated ₦300 billion to the health sector in the 2025 budget.”
HIV/AIDS is a significant public health challenge in Nigeria. Nigeria has one of the largest HIV epidemics in the world, with a significant number of people living with HIV.
Transmission: HIV can be spread through bodily fluids, such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, and breast milk.
Prevention: Methods include safe sex practices (condoms), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and needle exchange programs.
The Nigerian government, along with international partners and NGOs, has implemented programs to increase awareness, testing, and treatment access.