KAMPALA, Uganda — Uganda’s adult HIV prevalence has remained at 5.9%, according to preliminary findings from the 2025 Uganda Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (UPHIA 2025), while the country has recorded strong progress in HIV treatment and viral suppression.

The findings were released Thursday by Health Minister Dr Chris Baryomunsi at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala.

The survey estimates that about 1.496 million adults aged 15 years and above are living with HIV in Uganda. HIV prevalence among women was higher at 7.3%, compared with 4.1% among men, with the overall prevalence remaining largely unchanged from the 2020 assessment.

Among adults aged 15–49, HIV prevalence was estimated at 5.5%, comprising 7.1% among women and 3.5% among men.

Uganda Makes Progress on 95-95-95 Targets

The assessment shows substantial progress towards the global and national 95-95-95 HIV targets, although the first 95 remains the country’s biggest gap.

Among adults living with HIV, 85.3% knew their HIV status, while 99.1% of those who knew their status were on antiretroviral treatment (ART). Of those on treatment, 96.5% were virally suppressed.

The findings mean that Uganda has surpassed the 95% benchmark among people who know their HIV status in terms of treatment coverage and among those on treatment in terms of viral suppression.

However, the country remains below the 95% target for HIV status awareness, with approximately one in seven people living with HIV unaware of their status.

Viral Suppression Improves

The survey also found that 86% of all adults aged 15 years and above living with HIV were virally suppressed, regardless of whether they knew their status or were receiving ART.

This represents an improvement from 75.4% in 2020, according to the Ministry of Health.

Viral suppression was particularly high among older people living with HIV. It stood at 93.8% among women aged 55–64 and 98.8% among men in the same age group.

The figures were lower among younger people, with viral suppression among women aged 15–24 estimated at 64.1%. The survey could not estimate viral suppression among men living with HIV in the same age group because of small numbers.

Geographically, viral suppression ranged from 78% in the Mid Eastern region to 92.3% in the South-Western region, although the Ministry said suppression had improved across all regions compared with previous UPHIA assessments.

Regional Differences in HIV Prevalence

The assessment found significant regional variations in HIV prevalence.

The lowest prevalence was recorded in Karamoja at 1.3%, followed by West Nile at 1.4%. Prevalence was highest in the South Western region at 8.0%, followed by Central 1 at 7.3% and Central 2 at 7.2%. Kampala recorded a prevalence of 5.4%.

The survey also highlighted differences by age and sex.

Among men, HIV prevalence was highest among those aged 45–49 at 11.7%, while among women it was highest in the 40–44 age group at 15.7%.

Among young people aged 15–24, overall HIV prevalence was 1.5%, but women recorded twice the prevalence of men—2.0% compared with 1.0%.

Concern Over Young Adults

The Ministry said the findings point to a particular need to strengthen prevention and testing among adolescents and young adults.

HIV prevalence among people aged 20–24 was nearly three times that among those aged 15–19.

Among men, prevalence rose from 0.6% among those aged 15–19 to 1.5% among those aged 20–24. Among women, it increased from 1.3% to 2.8% across the same age groups.

The Ministry said the higher prevalence among young adults, together with lower levels of viral suppression among young people living with HIV, indicates that prevention and testing interventions need to begin earlier, particularly for girls and young women.

HIV Response and Changing Health Priorities

UPHIA 2025 was led by the Government of Uganda through the Ministry of Health, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda Bureau of Statistics, Uganda Virus Research Institute, regional referral hospitals and districts, in collaboration with implementing partners.

The survey was funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Data was collected between July and September 2025 from households across all regions of Uganda.

The assessment also collected information on selected non-communicable diseases. It found elevated blood pressure among 15.5% of participants aged 15 and above, elevated blood glucose among 0.9%, and overweight or obesity among 24.8%.

Dr Baryomunsi said Government would use the findings to guide resource allocation, strengthen primary healthcare and integrate HIV services with care for chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

He also called on Ugandans to know their HIV status, use prevention services and begin treatment promptly when diagnosed.

The Minister further urged adults to seek screening for high blood pressure and diabetes, while calling on district leaders, health workers and facility managers to use the findings to improve service delivery.

The Ministry said the figures released Thursday represent only part of the UPHIA 2025 findings. Additional results covering HIV incidence, programme coverage and behavioural indicators will be released through the final report and other dissemination products.