HIV Among Women

By Transmission Category

Total may not equal 100% due to rounding.

By Race/Ethnicity

Total may not equal 100% due to rounding.

New HIV Diagnoses in the US and Dependent Areas for the Most-Affected Subpopulations, 2017

Subpopulations representing 2% or less of HIV diagnoses are not reflected in this chart.
Source: CDC. Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2017. HIV Surveillance Report 2018;29.

From 2010 to 2016, HIV diagnoses decreased 21% among women overall in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. But trends varied for different groups of women.

HIV Diagnoses Among Women in the 50 States and District of Columbia, 2010-2016

Source: CDC. NCHHSTP AtlasPlus. Accessed February 20, 2019.

Living With HIV

In the 50 states and the District of Columbia:

An estimated 258,000 women had HIV in 2016, representing 23% of all people with HIV^.e Of those, an estimated 89% were aware of their infection.

Source: CDC. Selected national HIV prevention and care outcomes (slides).

Deaths

In 2016, there were 3,893 deaths among women with diagnosed HIV in the US and dependent areas. These deaths may be due to any cause.

Prevention Challenges

1 in 9 women with HIV are unaware they have it. People who do not know they have HIV cannot take advantage of HIV care and treatment and may unknowingly pass HIV to others.

Because some women may be unaware of their male partner’s risk factors for HIV (such as injection drug use or having sex with men), they may not use condoms or medicines to prevent HIV. In a behavioral survey of heterosexual women at increased risk of HIV infection, 93% of HIV-negative women reported having vaginal sex without a condom in the previous year, and 26% reported having anal sex without a condom.

In general, receptive sex is riskier than insertive sex. This means that women have a higher risk for getting HIV during vaginal or anal sex than their sex partners.

HIV testing rates within the past year were low among women with sexual behaviors that increase their risk of acquiring HIV and especially low among those who reported anal sex. A recent study found that only 20% of women who reported anal sex also reported having an HIV test. Receptive anal sex is the riskiest behavior for getting HIV.

Some sexually transmitted diseases, such as gonorrhea and syphilis, greatly increase the likelihood of getting or transmitting HIV.

Women who have been sexually abused may be more likely than women who have not to engage in sexual risk behaviors like exchanging sex for drugs, having multiple sex partners, or having sex without a condom.

What CDC Is Doing

CDC funds state and local health departments and community-based organizations (CBOs) to deliver effective HIV prevention services for women. For example:

• Under the new integrated HIV surveillance and prevention cooperative agreement, CDC is awarding around $400 million per year to health departments for surveillance and prevention efforts. This award will direct resources to the populations and geographic areas of greatest need, while supporting core HIV surveillance and prevention efforts across the United States.
• Under the flagship community-based organization cooperative agreement, CDC awarded about $42 million per year to community organizations. This award directs resources to support the delivery of effective HIV prevention strategies to people at greatest risk.
• In 2019, CDC will award a new cooperative agreement to strengthen the capacity and improve the performance of the nation’s HIV prevention workforce. New elements include dedicated providers for web-based and classroom-based national training and technical assistance tailored within four geographic regions.
• Through its Act Against AIDS campaigns and partnerships, CDC provides women with effective and culturally appropriate messages about HIV prevention and treatment. For example,
  • Let’s Stop HIV Together fights stigma among all Americans and provides many stories about people living with HIV.
  • Doing It encourages all adults to know their HIV status and protect themselves and their community by making HIV testing a part of their regular health routine.
  • HIV Treatment Works shows how people living with HIV have overcome barriers to stay in care and provides resources on how to live well with HIV.
  • Partnering and Communicating Together (PACT) to Act Against AIDS, a 5-year partnership with organizations such as AIDS United and I Choose Life, is raising awareness about testing, prevention, and retention in care among populations disproportionately affected by HIV.

^a HIV diagnoses refers to the number of people who received an HIV diagnosis during a given time period, not when the people got HIV infection.
^b Unless otherwise noted, the term United States (US) includes the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the 6 dependent areas of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.
^c Hispanics/Latinas can be of any race.
^d Black refers to people having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa, including immigrants from the Caribbean, and South and Latin America. African American is a term often used for Americans of African descent with ancestry in North America. Individuals may self-identify as either, both, or choose another identity altogether.
^e Includes diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infections among adults and adolescents.

Additional Resources