Quick Facts on HIV and AIDS

CRS and HIV

• CRS began supporting its first HIV project in Bangkok, Thailand in 1986.
• In 2007, we have directly served more than 4 million people.
• CRS supports more than 250 HIV projects in 52 countries.
• Our projects for 2007 are valued at over $120 million.

Global Statistics

• To date, 65 million people have been infected with HIV, and AIDS has killed more than 25 million since it was first recognized in 1981.
• In 2006, there were approximately 39.5 million people living with HIV; 17.7 million of those were women.
• Sub-Saharan Africa has 24.7 million people living with HIV, making it the world's worst-affected region.
• Some 4.3 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2006. That's more than 11,000 people infected every day.
• About 2.3 million children under 15 are now living with HIV; 530,000 were infected in 2006 alone.
• AIDS-related illnesses killed 2.9 million people in 2006.

Treatment

• HIV testing is available to only one in eight people who want it.
• About 2.2 million people living with HIV are receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries.
• The number of people receiving antiretroviral therapy in low- and middle-income countries has tripled since the end of 2001. However, just under 30 percent of people in need of treatment are currently receiving it.
• CRS helps provide lifesaving antiretroviral therapy to more than 84,000 people living with HIV in nine countries; more than 6,200 are children.