## Global HIV Epidemiology **Key Point:** The global adult HIV prevalence (15–49 years) is approximately 0.7% of the population, representing roughly 39 million people living with HIV worldwide as of 2023. **High-Yield:** This figure is critical for understanding the scale of the HIV pandemic and is frequently tested in epidemiology sections of NEET PG. ### Regional Variation While global prevalence is 0.7%, regional variation is significant: - Sub-Saharan Africa: ~7.2% (highest burden) - Southern Africa: ~18–20% in some countries - India: ~0.22% (approximately 2.4 million PLHIV) - North America and Western Europe: <0.3% **Clinical Pearl:** India has the third-largest HIV burden globally (after South Africa and Nigeria), making HIV epidemiology particularly relevant for Indian medical practice. ### Why This Matters Understanding global prevalence helps contextualize: - Resource allocation for prevention and treatment - Screening recommendations in high-burden populations - Public health policy formulation [cite:UNAIDS Global HIV Statistics 2023, Park 26e Ch 8]
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