South Africa's young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV was 71,000 in 2024, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 40.83% from 120,000 in 2014 (5.11% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 71,000 | 2024 |
| Five years earlier | 86,000 | 2019 |
| Ten years earlier | 120,000 | 2014 |
| Highest | 230,000 | 1997 |
| Lowest | 41,000 | 1990 |
| Average since 2015 | 88,300 | 2015–2024 |
| First recorded | 41,000 | 1990 |
What the numbers say
In 2024, South Africa's young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV fell 1.4% on 2023 (from 72,000 to 71,000).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −1.7% and a typical year strayed about 7.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 56.1% in 1991 and the biggest yearly fall was 9.1% in 2017. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2015 to 2024 the straight-line trend is downward, about 5,400 a year. A straight line explains 92% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2024, South Africa had the 1st highest value of the 131 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 71,000 | 2024 |
| World | 370,000 | 2024 |
Closest to South Africa in the 2024 ranking
- Mozambique — 2nd of 131: 34,000
- Tanzania — 3rd of 131: 15,000
- Philippines — 4th of 131: 14,000
What this measures
Number of young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV.
All 35 values
| Year | Young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 71,000 |
| 2023 | 72,000 |
| 2022 | 74,000 |
| 2021 | 77,000 |
| 2020 | 80,000 |
| 2019 | 86,000 |
| 2018 | 93,000 |
| 2017 | 100,000 |
| 2016 | 110,000 |
| 2015 | 120,000 |
| 2014 |
Young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV in nearby economies
- Angola — 6,400 (2024)
- Benin — 500 (2024)
- Botswana — 1,400 (2024)
- Burkina Faso — 940 (2024)
- Burundi — 500 (2024)
- Cabo Verde — 100 (2024)
- Cameroon — 3,400 (2024)
- Central African Republic — 1,200 (2024)
- Chad — 1,300 (2024)
- Comoros
More health data for South Africa
- Population ages 00-04, female (% of female population) — 8.76% (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male (% of male population) — 9.45% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female — 8.28 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female (% of female population) — 24.92% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male — 8.37 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male (% of male population) — 26.57% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, total — 16.66 million (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 (% of total population) — 25.72% (2025)
- Population ages 05-09, female (% of female population) — 8.27% (2025)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is South Africa's young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV?
- 71,000 in 2024, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1990?
- It is up 73.17% from 41,000 in 1990 (1.63% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 230,000 in 1997 and the lowest 41,000 in 1990.
- How does South Africa rank?
- 1st highest of 131 economies with data for 2024.
- Is the latest change in young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV unusual for South Africa?
- In 2024, South Africa's young people (ages 15-24) newly infected with HIV fell 1.4% on 2023 (from 72,000 to 71,000). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1994 to 2023), the average change was −1.7% and a typical year strayed about 7.7% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.0 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SH.HIV.INCD.YG, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: UNAIDS estimates, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), uri: https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/, publisher: UNAIDS, date accessed: 2025-08-27, date published: 2025-07 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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