Newly released 2026 global HIV estimates show that children and adolescents continue to face significant challenges in the fight against HIV, as international funding declines and disruptions to health services increase risks for the most vulnerable.
According to the latest figures from UNICEF and UNAIDS, an estimated 2.27 million children and adolescents aged 0–19 were living with HIV globally in 2025.
During that year alone, roughly 240,000 children and adolescents acquired HIV, and 74,000 died from AIDS-related causes, a toll UNICEF says reflects persistent, preventable gaps in testing and treatment rather than a lack of available tools to close them.
The youngest children remain particularly at risk. For those aged 0–14, around 1.26 million were living with HIV in 2025, with roughly 93,000 newly infected and 61,000 dying from AIDS-related causes during the year.
Translated into daily terms, this amounts to about 255 children acquiring HIV and 167 dying from AIDS-related causes every day, figures that continue to alarm global health officials. Nearly 87 percent of these children live in sub-Saharan Africa, which remains the region hardest hit by the epidemic.
Treatment and diagnosis gaps remain wide, and notably worse for children than for adults. Only 65 percent of children aged 0–14 living with HIV knew their status in 2025, and just 55 percent were receiving antiretroviral therapy.
By comparison, 89 percent of adults living with HIV know their status, and 79 percent are on treatment. Viral suppression, meaning the virus is under control and unlikely to be transmitted, was achieved by only 47 percent of children living with HIV, underscoring how far behind children lag in benefiting from the tools that have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a manageable condition for many adults.
These global findings were detailed in UNAIDS’ Special Report for AIDS 2026, released at the International AIDS Conference in Rio de Janeiro. The report warns that cuts in international funding and disruptions to essential services threaten to unravel recent progress, with children and adolescents, who already face the widest gaps in diagnosis and treatment, likely to be hit hardest if health systems lose resources or focus.
Research presented at the same conference found that the number of children receiving HIV treatment is now declining at a rate that cannot be explained by earlier successes in preventing mother-to-child transmission, raising concern that funding cuts are affecting how many children are being enrolled in, and retained on, treatment.
Lesotho continues to be heavily affected by HIV among children. According to the UNAIDS 2026 estimates, an estimated 6,400 children aged 0–14 were living with HIV in Lesotho in 2025, with fewer than 500 new infections and fewer than 500 AIDS-related deaths recorded among this age group during the year.
While these numbers represent a decline from previous years, they confirm that HIV remains a significant burden for the country’s youngest citizens, many of whom still face barriers to diagnosis, treatment and viral suppression.
The findings come against a backdrop of funding uncertainty for Lesotho’s HIV response. The country has historically relied heavily on the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which has contributed close to $1 billion toward the national response since its inception, making it the single largest external supporter of Lesotho’s fight against HIV.
That support was thrown into disarray in January 2025, when a US foreign aid freeze disrupted treatment and prevention programmes nationwide, before a waiver later restored funding for core treatment services, though prevention programmes, including condom distribution and voluntary medical male circumcision, remained affected for longer.
Health officials have warned that any further disruption could reverse gains that have brought Lesotho close to international HIV targets for adults, while leaving children, who were already lagging furthest behind even more exposed.
Based on the 2026 data, experts are calling for urgent action in four key areas: eliminating vertical transmission by preventing mothers from passing HIV to their children and accelerating progress toward eliminating HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B from birth; closing treatment gaps through earlier diagnosis, better paediatric treatment and stronger continuity of care; preventing new infections among adolescents, with particular focus on adolescent girls and expanded access to prevention and sexual and reproductive health services; and protecting progress by using reliable, timely data to identify gaps as soon as they emerge and ensure scarce resources go where they are needed most.
As João Pedro Azevedo, UNICEF’s Chief Statistician, and Anurita Bains, UNICEF’s Associate Director for HIV/AIDS, have emphasised, strong data systems and high-quality information remain essential for tracking progress, identifying gaps, and ensuring that limited resources reach those who need them most, a message that carries particular weight for a country like Lesotho, still navigating both a persistent paediatric HIV burden and an uncertain funding landscape.
Summary
- Viral suppression, meaning the virus is under control and unlikely to be transmitted, was achieved by only 47 percent of children living with HIV, underscoring how far behind children lag in benefiting from the tools that have transformed HIV from a death sentence into a manageable condition for many adults.
- The report warns that cuts in international funding and disruptions to essential services threaten to unravel recent progress, with children and adolescents, who already face the widest gaps in diagnosis and treatment, likely to be hit hardest if health systems lose resources or focus.
- Research presented at the same conference found that the number of children receiving HIV treatment is now declining at a rate that cannot be explained by earlier successes in preventing mother-to-child transmission, raising concern that funding cuts are affecting how many children are being enrolled in, and retained on, treatment.
Ntsoaki Motaung is an award-winning health journalist from Lesotho, specializing in community health stories with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and rights, as well as HIV. She has contributed to platforms like “Be in the KNOW,” highlighting issues such as the exclusion of people with disabilities from HIV prevention efforts in Lesotho.
In addition to her journalism, Ntsoaki serves as the Country Coordinator for the Regional Media Action Plan Support Network (REMAPSEN). She is also a 2023 CPHIA Journalism Fellow.
