At least four people acquire HIV/Aids every hour in Uganda, according to 2025 data presented by the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC).
Brian Masimbi, principal statistician at UAC, said the country recorded about 34,400 new HIV infections in 2025, translating to an average of four new infections every hour or about 662 each week.
Masimbi was speaking on Wednesday during a capacity-building and dissemination workshop on HIV prevention communication for media practitioners and district communication officers in the Kigezi region. The workshop was held at Riverside Hotel in Rukungiri Municipality.
He said the figures are contained in a 2025 UAC study, which estimates that about 1.55 million people are living with HIV in Uganda, including 980,000 women, 569,000 men and 71,000 children.
The study also estimates that about 19,000 people die annually from HIV-related illnesses, equivalent to about 54 deaths every day or 384 every week.
Masimbi said men account for more HIV-related deaths than women, while young people account for 40 per cent of new HIV infections. He said young women account for about 80 per cent of new infections among young people.
Uganda’s HIV prevalence was put at 4.9 per cent in the 2025 records presented during the workshop. In Kigezi region, Rukungiri has the highest reported prevalence at 8.1 per cent, followed by Kanungu at six per cent and Kabale at five per cent.
Rukiga’s prevalence stands at 4.3 per cent, followed by Rubanda at 2.6 per cent and Kisoro at two per cent.
Masimbi attributed continued HIV transmission to several behavioural and social factors, including multiple sexual partnerships, HIV status discordance and non-disclosure, transactional sex, low condom use, alcohol and drug abuse, and complacency associated with access to antiretroviral therapy.
He also cited poverty, wealth disparities and gender inequality as factors contributing to continued HIV transmission.