HIV funding cut by a fifth: UNAIDS warns of epidemic resurgence as 570,000 AIDS deaths recorded in 2025

UNAIDS stated that the world risks a resurgence of the HIV epidemic after global funding was cut by nearly a fifth last year, BBC World Service reported.

In a report to mark the opening of an international AIDS conference in Brazil, UNAIDS said funding fell to around $7 billion, its lowest in nearly two decades. It warned that political and financial upheaval threatened decades of hard-fought gains against HIV.

The report also repeated that the global goal to eradicate AIDS by 2030 was off track, due to reduced funding and other crises, such as Ebola, hampering efforts. 

In 2025, 1.2 million people acquired HIV, but progress is uneven. New HIV infections rose in three regions and 21 countries in 2025. Around 9 million of the 41 million people living with HIV were not on treatment, and almost half of all children living with HIV did not have access to antiretroviral therapy in 2025. More than half a million people (570,000) died of AIDS-related illnesses in 2025. 

UNAIDS reported that seven countries achieved an almost 80% reduction in new infections since 2010, and 11 countries achieved the 95-95-95** treatment targets, showing that progress is possible. 

Science and innovation offer a major opportunity. The world is on the cusp of an HIV prevention revolution in prevention medicines, which offer close to vaccine-like protection against HIV. Monthly and six-monthly injections are slowly trickling into the market, and monthly pills are in late-stage trials. What is coming to market and in the pipeline is extraordinary; the challenge remains scale and inequitable access. 

Brazil has increased the number of people accessing HIV prevention medicines at least once in the past year by 41%. Ethiopia and Uganda also took action to expand access through domestic and other funding, and South Africa is continuing to negotiate pricing deals for the twice-yearly prevention injections lenacapavir. However, despite being part of the trials for lenacapavir, Brazil has not been granted a voluntary license by producer Gilead to enable cost-effective pricing or the introduction of generic alternatives, and is considering compulsory licensing.  

UNAIDS estimates that 20 million people need access to antiretroviral-based prevention to have a real impact in stopping new HIV infections. 

You may also want to read: The global HIV/AIDS epidemic: how the UN is trying to overcome it by 2030 despite Russian sabotage

UNAIDS also pointed out that human rights are under attack, and there is a reversal of rights, including the sexual and reproductive rights of women and girls and marginalised populations. For the first time since UNAIDS has been tracking these trends, the criminalisation of marginalised populations increased. In 2025, Burkina Faso and Niger introduced criminalisation of same-sex sexual activity, and Senegal increased penalties for same-sex sexual activity in 2026.  

In 2026, 168 countries criminalised sex work, 152 countries criminalised possession of small amounts of drugs, 66 countries criminalized same sex sexual relations, and 14 countries criminalised transgender people.  

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