- Public health alert. Lagos, Rivers and Kano account for the highest number of new HIV infections as experts warn that declining funding could threaten decades of progress against the epidemic.
Key Points
- Nigeria recorded 102,025 new HIV infections across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2025.
- Lagos State accounted for the highest number of new infections with 10,430 cases, followed by Rivers (6,287) and Kano (6,106).
- Other states with high infection rates include Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Benue, Anambra, Kaduna, Adamawa and the FCT.
- The figures were contained in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025.
- Health authorities say Nigeria remains committed to achieving the 95-95-95 HIV treatment targets to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
- UNAIDS and the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) have warned that declining international donor funding could reverse progress if domestic financing is not strengthened.
Main Story
Nigeria recorded a total of 102,025 new HIV infections across its 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2025, with Lagos State accounting for the highest number of new cases at 10,430, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025.
The report, obtained by our correspondent, provides a comprehensive state-by-state breakdown of newly reported HIV infections, highlighting the continued geographical concentration of the epidemic despite years of expanded prevention, testing and treatment interventions.
According to the report, Rivers State ranked second with 6,287 new infections, followed closely by Kano State with 6,106.
Other states recording significant numbers of new infections include Akwa Ibom (5,413), Taraba (4,854), Benue (4,804), Anambra (4,468), Kaduna (3,659), Adamawa (2,989) and the Federal Capital Territory (2,764).
States that also reported more than 2,000 new infections include Cross River (2,595), Sokoto (2,592), Abia (2,546), Imo (2,537), Delta (2,469), Borno (2,311), Ogun (2,107), Plateau (2,084), Niger (2,020) and Ebonyi (2,015).
At the lower end of the spectrum were Ekiti (462), Bayelsa (982), Gombe (1,083), Osun (1,093), Kwara (1,371), Enugu (1,429), Yobe (1,483), Katsina (1,541) and Kebbi (1,572).
The latest figures underscore that HIV remains one of Nigeria’s most significant public health challenges despite notable progress in expanding access to life-saving antiretroviral therapy and reducing AIDS-related deaths.
Nigeria currently operates one of the world’s largest HIV treatment programmes, supported by the Federal Government alongside international development partners, with millions of people living with HIV receiving antiretroviral treatment through public health facilities nationwide.
In recent years, the Federal Government, through the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) and other partners, has intensified efforts to curb new infections by expanding free HIV testing services, scaling up Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes, increasing access to antiretroviral medicines, promoting pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among high-risk populations, strengthening community awareness campaigns and improving disease surveillance through digital health information systems.
Nigeria has also adopted the global 95-95-95 treatment targets, which aim to ensure that 95 per cent of people living with HIV know their status, 95 per cent of those diagnosed receive sustained treatment, and 95 per cent of those on treatment achieve viral suppression by 2030.
Health authorities maintain that meeting these targets remains critical to ending AIDS as a public health threat within the decade.
The Issues
Although Nigeria has made considerable progress in HIV prevention and treatment over the past two decades, the latest figures highlight persistent challenges in reducing new infections.
Public health experts continue to identify young people, adolescent girls and young women, infants exposed to HIV, and key populations as among those most vulnerable to new infections.
Experts also warn that declining international donor support could significantly weaken HIV prevention, testing and treatment programmes unless governments increase domestic financing and strengthen community-based interventions.
The concentration of new infections in a relatively small number of states also suggests the need for more targeted prevention strategies, enhanced surveillance systems and sustained public education campaigns in high-burden areas.
What’s Being Said
Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director, UNAIDS
Speaking during the launch of the 2025 Global AIDS Update on July 10, 2025, Byanyima warned that although remarkable progress has been made globally in reducing HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths, the gains remain fragile.
She disclosed that approximately 1.3 million people acquired HIV worldwide in 2024 and stressed that sustained investments in prevention, testing and treatment remain essential to keeping the epidemic under control.
Earlier, during a Multistakeholder Consultation on the Global AIDS Strategy held on April 28, 2025, she cautioned that HIV “is not over,” urging governments to strengthen domestic financing and sustain prevention programmes to prevent a resurgence of infections.
Dr Temitope Ilori, Director-General, National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA)
Dr Ilori has consistently called for stronger domestic financing and greater community ownership of Nigeria’s HIV response.
Speaking at various engagements in 2025, she reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to reducing new HIV infections through expanded access to HIV testing, treatment and prevention services while strengthening the country’s overall health systems.
She also emphasised the importance of sustaining investments in HIV programmes to consolidate the gains already recorded in the country’s response to the epidemic.
What’s Next
Health authorities are expected to intensify HIV prevention and testing campaigns, particularly in states recording the highest number of new infections.
Government is also expected to strengthen domestic financing for HIV programmes while expanding access to treatment, prevention services and community-based interventions to sustain progress toward achieving the global 95-95-95 targets.
Public health stakeholders say continued surveillance, targeted interventions in high-burden states and sustained investments will be critical if Nigeria is to meet its goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat by 2030.
Bottom Line
Despite years of expanded treatment and prevention efforts, Nigeria recorded 102,025 new HIV infections in 2025, underscoring that the epidemic remains a major public health challenge. With Lagos, Rivers and Kano accounting for the highest number of new cases, health experts say sustained domestic investment, targeted interventions and strengthened prevention programmes will be essential to reversing the trend and achieving the country’s HIV elimination goals.
