In 2025, Nigeria recorded 102,025 new HIV infections across its 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, according to data from the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025.
Lagos State reported the highest number of new cases at 10,430, followed by Rivers State with 6,287 and Kano with 6,106.
The report provides a detailed breakdown of new HIV infections by state, highlighting the persistent geographical concentration of the epidemic despite years of intensified prevention efforts by the Federal Government and its partners. Other states with significant case numbers include Akwa Ibom (5,413), Taraba (4,854), Benue (4,804), and Anambra (4,468). Kaduna registered 3,659 new infections, while Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory reported 2,989 and 2,764 cases respectively, rounding out the top 10 states with the highest new infection rates.
Several other states also recorded more than 2,000 new infections, among them Sokoto (2,592), Cross River (2,595), Abia (2,546), Imo (2,537), Delta (2,469), Borno (2,311), Ogun (2,107), Plateau (2,084), Niger (2,020), and Ebonyi (2,015). At the lower end of the scale were Ekiti (462), Bayelsa (982), Gombe (1,083), Osun (1,093), Kwara (1,371), Enugu (1,429), Yobe (1,483), Katsina (1,541), and Kebbi (1,572).
These figures underscore that HIV remains a major public health challenge in Nigeria, even as the country operates one of the world’s largest HIV treatment programmes. Millions of Nigerians receive antiretroviral therapy through government-supported and donor-funded initiatives, which have expanded access to treatment and reduced AIDS-related deaths.
Nonetheless, public health experts warn that curbing new infections remains a significant challenge, particularly among key populations such as young people, adolescent girls and young women, infants exposed to HIV, and other vulnerable groups. In response, the Federal Government, through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), has ramped up efforts to prevent HIV by offering free testing services, increasing access to antiretroviral medicines, scaling up Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission programmes, promoting pre-exposure prophylaxis for high-risk groups, and strengthening community awareness and digital surveillance.
Nigeria has also adopted the global 95-95-95 targets: aiming for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to receive sustained treatment, and 95% of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression. Health authorities say meeting these targets is vital to ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
At the launch of the 2025 Global AIDS Update on July 10, UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima emphasized that, despite significant global progress in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, the fight is far from over. She highlighted that approximately 1.3 million people acquired HIV globally in 2024, stressing the importance of sustained investment in prevention, testing, and treatment to keep the epidemic under control. Speaking earlier at a Multistakeholder Consultation in April, Byanyima warned that HIV “is not over,” urging governments to strengthen domestic financing and maintain prevention programmes.
Similarly, NACA Director-General Dr. Temitope Ilori has repeatedly advocated for increased domestic funding and community-led interventions to sustain Nigeria’s HIV response. She reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to lowering new infections through improved access to testing, treatment, and prevention, alongside strengthening the health system.
Experts have cautioned that declining international donor funding could jeopardize decades of progress if governments fail to boost domestic investment. UNAIDS warns that interruptions in prevention services could result in a resurgence of infections, particularly in high-burden countries like Nigeria.
While Nigeria has made notable strides compared to previous decades, the 102,025 new infections recorded in 2025 demonstrate that the epidemic remains a pressing challenge. The latest data show that Nigeria’s HIV burden is still heavily concentrated in a few states, with Lagos, Rivers, and Kano accounting for a significant share of new cases.
