HIV/AIDS and Black/African Americans

Non-Hispanic Black or African Americans were diagnosed with HIV infection at 2.55 times the rate of other populations in 2023.1
- Non-Hispanic Black or African American males were diagnosed with HIV at 2.95 times the rate of all U.S males in 2023.
- Non-Hispanic Black or African American females were diagnosed with HIV at 3.84 times the rate of all U.S females in 2023.
- Despite having higher rates of HIV infection compared to the total US population, the number of annual HIV diagnoses in Black or African Americans has remained flat since 2019.
In 2023, the prevalence rate of AIDS in non-Hispanic Black or African American females was 4.43 times the rate of AIDS in all U.S. females.2
Non-Hispanic Black or African American males diagnosed with HIV infection died at a rate that was three times higher than the total U.S male population.3
In 2023, non-Hispanic Black or African Americans died of AIDS at a rate that was 3.23 times greater than the total population.4

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Occurrence

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

All Ages

Diagnoses of HIV infection, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
34.9	11.6	3.01

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). HIV surveillance report: Diagnoses, deaths, and prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states, 2023 (Vol. 35, Table 1a). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Adults and Adolescents

Diagnoses of HIV Infection among persons ages 13 and older, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
	Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
Male	66.5	22.5	2.95
Female	19.6	5.1	3.84
Total	34.9*	13.7	2.55
*Total rate may include children <13

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). HIV surveillance report: Diagnoses, deaths, and prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states, 2023 (Vol. 35, Tables 3a and 1a). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Persons 13-24 years old living with diagnosed HIV infection, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
203.1	53.3	3.81

Children

Diagnoses of HIV infection among children ages 12 and under, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
Black	Total Population	Ratio (Black / Total)
0.5	0.1	5.00

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Prevalence of AIDS among persons ages 13 and older, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
	Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
Male	843.4	292.5	2.88
Female	387.3	87.4	4.43
Both Sexes	603.7	188.3	3.21

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). NCHHSTP AtlasPlus [Interactive data tool]. National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention.

Classifications of persons with Stage 3 AIDS, by number of cases and percentage, 2023
	Black	Total Population
Cumulative Cases^	542,003	1,366,381
Percent of Total Cases	39.7	100.00
^Cumulative data are from the beginning of the epidemic (1981)5 through 2023.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). HIV surveillance report: Diagnoses, deaths, and prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states, 2023: Slide set: HIV infection, Stage 3 (AIDS) 2022 (Slide 6) [PowerPoint presentation]. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Mortality

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

Deaths of persons with diagnosed HIV infection, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
	Black	Total	Ratio (Black / Total)
Male	26.1	8.7	3.00
Female	10.6	2.5	4.24
Total Population	18.1	5.6	3.23

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). HIV surveillance report: Diagnoses, deaths, and prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 territories and freely associated states, 2023 (Vol. 35, Tables 12a and 11a). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)

Deaths of persons ages 13 and older with AIDS, rate per 100,000 population, 2023
	Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
Male	23.7	7.7	3.08
Female	9.3	2.2	4.23
Both Sexes	16.1	4.9	3.29

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). NCHHSTP AtlasPlus [Interactive data tool]. National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention.

Health Care Use

HIV testing status among persons ages 18 and over, age-adjusted percentage, 2018
	Black*	Total Population	Ratio (Black* / Total)
Ever tested	62.8	43.7	1.44
Never tested	37.2	56.3	0.66

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021). Summary health statistics for U.S. adults: 2018 (Table A-20a). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

*Population is non-Hispanic in the data source.

1 CDC, 2024. HIV Surveillance Report: Diagnoses, Deaths, and Prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 Territories and Freely Associated States, 2023, v.35. Tables 3a and 1a. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/156509 (Back to top)

2 CDC. National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP) Atlas Plus. https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/nchhstpatlas/tables.html (Back to top)

3 CDC, 2024. HIV Surveillance Report: Diagnoses, Deaths, and Prevalence of HIV in the United States and 6 Territories and Freely Associated States, 2023, v.35. Tables 12a and 11a. https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/156509 (Back to top)

4 CDC. National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention (NCHHSTP) Atlas Plus. https://gis.cdc.gov/grasp/nchhstpatlas/tables.html (Back to top)

5 HIV.gov. A Timeline of HIV and AIDS. A Timeline of HIV and AIDS | HIV.gov. Accessed September 10, 2025 (Back to top)

Date Last Reviewed: January 2026