Europe Fails to Meet HIV Targets, Deaths on the Rise

Strategic Insights -

The European region, which stretches from western Europe to central Asia, has seen a significant increase in HIV-related deaths, with 51,000 deaths reported in 2022, a 37% rise from 2010 levels. This is in stark contrast to the global trend, where deaths have halved since 2010. The UNAIDS targets for the European region include a 75% reduction in HIV-related deaths by 2025 and a 90% reduction by 2030, but Europe is expected to miss out on achieving most of these targets.

Key Takeaways:

  • Europe has seen a 37% increase in HIV-related deaths from 2010 to 2022, with 51,000 deaths reported in 2022, which is 5.5 times the 2025 target and 13.8 times the 2030 target.
  • The European region has the highest HIV prevalence in the world, with many of the deaths occurring in Russia and Ukraine, which are experiencing conflict.
  • Despite efforts to increase access to antiretroviral therapy, only 71% of people with HIV in the European region are on treatment, which is lower than the global average.
  • New infections in Europe rose from 149,000 in 2010 to 156,000 in 2025, a 5% increase instead of the 75% reduction aimed for.
  • Many people with HIV in Europe are not diagnosed, with 43-44% of transmissible HIV due to lack of diagnosis in western and central Europe.
  • Only 62% of reporting countries in the European region have achieved the goal of 95% of people on treatment being virally suppressed.
  • The target for the number of people receiving PrEP in Europe is half a million, but the number who have received PrEP at least once currently stands at 345,000, which is about 70% of the target.
  • PrEP users in Europe are predominantly men, with only 3.4% of PrEP users in the UK being women, and no other European country having more than 400 women on PrEP.

Statistics:

  • HIV-related deaths in Europe: 51,000 (2022), 37% increase from 2010 levels
  • New infections in Europe: 156,000 (2025), 5% increase from 2010 levels
  • People with HIV on treatment in Europe: 71% (2025), lower than the global average
  • People receiving PrEP in Europe: 345,000 (at least once), about 70% of the target
  • Percentage of PrEP users who are women in Europe: 3.4% (UK), 0-400 (other countries)

Sources:

  • UNAIDS 2023 report
  • European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
  • European AIDS Treatment Group press release
  • Teymur Noori, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
  • 20th European AIDS Conference (EACS 2025)