Data from the National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (NISR) reveal that, between 2019 and 2024, a total of 54,287 people in Rwanda were diagnosed with HIV. The highest numbers were recorded in the City of Kigali and the Western Province.
In 2024 alone, 9,019 people tested positive for HIV, including 3,503 men and 5,516 women, out of 1,026,851 individuals tested that year. In 2023, more than 1.1 million people were tested, with 9,270 positive cases (3,752 men and 5,518 women), marking a slight increase from 2022, when 8,507 people tested positive (3,404 men and 5,103 women) from over 1.1 million tests. In 2021, 9,422 people were diagnosed, comprising 3,673 men and 5,749 women from more than 1.5 million tests.
In 2020, 9,279 people tested positive out of over 2.09 million tests, including 3,577 men and 5,702 women. This was an increase compared to 2019, when 8,790 people were diagnosed (4,040 men and 4,750 women) from 2.6 million tests.
Kigali and Eastern Province most affected
The City of Kigali continues to record the highest number of HIV cases in the country. In 2024, 2,883 residents tested positive, compared to 2,811 in 2023 and 2,756 in 2022. Previous years saw 2,983 cases in 2021, 3,136 in 2020, and 3,707 in 2019.
The Eastern Province follows Kigali in new infections. In 2024, 2,439 people tested positive, compared with 2,675 in 2023 and 2022, 2,398 in 2020, and 2,676 in 2019.
The Southern Province also reported significant numbers, with 1,573 positive cases in 2024, compared to 1,543 in 2023, 1,420 in 2022, 1,589 in 2021, 1,665 in 2020, and 1,045 in 2019.
In the Western Province, 1,257 people were diagnosed in 2024, compared to 1,431 in 2023, 1,400 in 2022, 2,460 in 2021, 1,319 in 2020, and 852 in 2019. The Northern Province recorded 867 new cases in 2024, compared with 810 in 2023, 728 in 2022, 932 in 2021, 761 in 2020, and 510 in 2019.
Age and gender trends
Over the six-year period, most HIV diagnoses were among people over 25 years old, totaling 41,385 cases, followed by young people aged 15 to 24, who accounted for 11,234 cases. Among pregnant women, 1,221 were living with HIV in 2024, up from 1,141 in 2023, while earlier years recorded 1,420 in 2022, 1,625 in 2021, 1,314 in 2020, and 1,831 in 2019.
In 2024, 5,570 women living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy, representing 99.0% coverage. That year, 67,761 couples were tested, with 3,350 found to be discordant, meaning one partner was HIV positive while the other was not.
National HIV landscape
As of December 2025, the Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) reported that 234,000 people were living with HIV in the country. HIV-related deaths are estimated at around 2,500 annually, while new infections among people aged 15 to 49 stood at 2.7%.
Rwanda has achieved and surpassed the United Nations 95-95-95 targets, which aim for 95% of people living with HIV to know their status, 95% of those diagnosed to be on treatment, and 95% of those on treatment to achieve viral suppression. The country currently stands at 96-98-98.
The Ministry of Health notes that strong investment in HIV care is yielding positive results. In 2025, people aged 50 and above accounted for 30% of all individuals living with HIV, reflecting improved life expectancy among patients.
IGIHE
