New HIV diagnoses and care and treatment outcomes generally remained stable in 2024, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The updated numbers show that the United States is not on track to meet national goals for ending the HIV epidemic.

 

According to one CDC report, 38,793 people ages 13 and older were newly diagnosed with HIV in 2024, a small decrease from the 39,201 diagnoses in 2023. A total of 1,158,701 people were living with diagnosed HIV at the end of the year. Men accounted for 80% of all new diagnoses, and 65% were attributed to sex between men. Black people made up 39% of new diagnoses, followed by Latino people (34%) and white people (21%). Just over half lived in the South.

 

A second report looked at the state of HIV care. More than one in five people diagnosed with HIV in 2024 had already progressed to AIDS, showing that many are getting tested too late.

 

Among newly diagnosed people, 83% were linked to care within one month. Of the more than 1 million people living with diagnosed HIV at the end of the year, 77% had received some care, but only 56% were retained in care. The viral suppression rate increased slightly to 69% in 2024, compared with 67% the previous year.

 

The latest numbers are a snapshot of the status quo before the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in January 2025, and they do not yet reflect the effects of his administration’s policy changes and cuts to funding for the CDC, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Medicaid.

 

“While we have many of the tools to end HIV, including effective antiretroviral treatment and PrEP that prevents HIV, we need HIV programs and policies, along with sufficient funding, to ensure they are delivered to the people who need them,” says Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute.