HIV and African American People

Data for 2020 should be interpreted with caution due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on access to HIV testing, care-related services, and case surveillance activities in state and local jurisdictions. While 2020 data on HIV diagnoses and prevention and care outcomes are available, we are not updating this web content with data from these reports.

Black/African Americana people account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses and people with HIV, compared to other races and ethnicities. Racism, HIV stigma, homophobia, poverty, and barriers to health care continue to drive these disparities. Get the latest data on HIV among African American people and find out how CDC is making a difference.

aBlack refers to people having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa. African American is a term often used for people of African descent with ancestry in North America. This web content uses African American, unless referencing surveillance data.

bUnless otherwise noted, data in this web content are for adults and adolescents aged 13 years and older.

cAmerican Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, the Republic of Palau, and the US Virgin Islands.

  1. CDC Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2019. HIV Surveillance Report 2021;32.
  2. CDC. Estimated HIV incidence and prevalence in the United States, 2015–2019. [PDF – 3 MB] HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2021;26(1).
  3. CDC. Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data—United States and 6 dependent areas, 2019HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2021;26(2).
  4. Randolph SD, Golin C, Welgus H, Lightfoot AF, Harding CJ, Riggins LF. How perceived structural racism and discrimination and medical mistrust in the health system influences participation in HIV health services for Black women living in the United States South: a qualitative, descriptive study. J Assoc Nurses AIDS Care2020;31(5):598-605. PubMed abstract.
  5. Beer L, McCree DH, Jeffries WL 4th, Lemons A, Sionean C. Recent US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention activities to reduce HIV stigmaJ Int Assoc Provid AIDS Care2019;18:1-5.
  6. CDC. Sexually transmitted disease surveillance, 2019. Accessed January 18, 2022.