03/09/2026
ZAMBIA RECORDS PROGRESS IN HIV RESPONSE
Government, through the Ministry of Health, says Zambia has made significant progress in the fight against HIV, with the 2025 HIV Spectrum Estimates showing approximately 1,308,000 people living with HIV, a slight decrease from 1,311,000 in 2023.
Officiating at the dissemination of the 2025 HIV Spectrum Estimates, Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary – Technical Services, Dr. Kennedy Lishimpi, said the stability in the number of people living with HIV reflects a balance between new HIV infections, treatment uptake and AIDS-related deaths, highlighting the continued impact of Zambia’s HIV treatment programmes.
Dr. Lishimpi noted that Zambia has also recorded significant progress in reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, with the rate declining from 34.4% in 2005 to 6.12% in 2025.
He said the country must accelerate efforts towards reaching the WHO dual elimination threshold of below 5%, particularly by closing gaps in antenatal care attendance, early infant diagnosis, and retention of HIV-positive mothers and their infants in care throughout the 18-month follow-up period.
He further highlighted the decline in the number of children living with HIV, from 137,000 in 2005 to 59,000 in 2025, while new paediatric HIV infections fell from 23,000 in 2005 to 2,700 in 2025, demonstrating the success of the elimination of mother-to-child transmission (eMTCT) programme.
However, women continue to account for a larger proportion of people living with HIV, representing 64% of all people living with HIV in 2025. Adolescents and young people aged 15–24 accounted for 6,000 new infections, representing 37% of all new adult infections, with 79% of these occurring among young women.
On AIDS-related deaths, Dr. Lishimpi said Zambia recorded an estimated 16,000 deaths in 2025, compared to 66,000 in 2005, representing a significant reduction over the past two decades.
Despite these gains, he said Advanced HIV Disease remains a challenge and continues to be a major driver of AIDS-related deaths in Zambia. He called for strengthened screening, treatment and clinical interventions, particularly for populations that are hardest to reach.
Dr. Lishimpi said Government is redoubling its commitment to HIV prevention through measures that include accelerating the rollout of long-acting injectable PrEP, expanding DREAMS programming for adolescent girls and young women, sustaining and scaling up Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision, strengthening Advanced HIV Disease management, and aligning national efforts with global targets to reduce new HIV infections to below 10,000 by 2030.
He said the 2025 estimates provide evidence that investments by Government, cooperating partners, health workers and communities have changed the course of the epidemic.
Dr. Lishimpi stressed that the country must renew its commitments, partnerships and strategies while remaining cognizant of the human lives behind the numbers.
Ministry of Health
Public Relations and Communications Unit
