Translation. Region: Russian Federation –
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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November 28, 2025 Healthcare
Europe is failing to meet the challenge of early HIV detection and treatment: more than half (54 percent) of all diagnoses in 2024 were made too late to provide optimal treatment. This is according to new data published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe ahead of World AIDS Day.
"A serious failure"
The study's authors warn that a serious failure in testing, compounded by rising numbers of undetected cases, significantly undermines the goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030.
According to the annual HIV/AIDS monitoring report, 105,922 new cases of HIV infection were registered in the WHO European Region, which encompasses 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia, in 2024. Although the total number of registered cases has decreased slightly compared to 2023, available data indicate persistent gaps in testing and diagnosis.
Late diagnosis
The high rate of late diagnoses means that many people do not receive life-saving antiretroviral therapy and medical care in a timely manner. This increases the risk of developing AIDS, death, and further HIV transmission.
In the 30 countries of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA), 24,164 HIV cases were registered, representing a rate of 5.3 per 100,000 people. Key findings from the 2024 data indicate that 48 percent of diagnoses in these countries are late.
Sex between men remains the most common route of HIV transmission in the EU/EEA (48 percent), but the number of cases associated with heterosexual transmission is increasing and accounts for almost 46 percent of all diagnoses.
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UNAIDS report: HIV response faces biggest crisis in years
Vulnerable groups
In the WHO European Region, 54 percent of diagnoses were made late. The highest proportion of late diagnoses is observed among people infected through heterosexual contact (especially men) and people who inject drugs.
Almost one in three new diagnoses in 2024 occurred in people born outside the country of diagnosis. In EU/EEA countries, migrants accounted for more than half of new cases, highlighting the need for accessible, targeted, and culturally appropriate preventive and diagnostic services.
Hidden Crisis
WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge believes the data "paints a mixed picture." He noted that HIV testing in the region has recovered since 2020, leading to an increase in diagnoses in 11 countries in 2024. In 2024 alone, 105,922 people were diagnosed with HIV, bringing the total number of cases registered since the 1980s to 2.68 million. "However, the number of people living with undiagnosed HIV is growing—a hidden crisis fueling the spread of infection," he added.
"We're not doing enough to remove the deadly barriers of stigma and discrimination that prevent people from getting a simple test," Dr. Kluge emphasized. "Early diagnosis isn't a privilege, it's the path to a long, healthy life and the key to the fight against HIV."
Call to action
The study authors call for urgent action to expand and implement testing, including greater access to self-testing and community-based options that can reach people who do not seek medical attention.
The goal of ending the AIDS epidemic as a public health threat by 2030 remains achievable, but only if the European Region takes action now to close the testing gap, say experts from the WHO and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
World AIDS Day
This year's World AIDS Day theme is "From Challenge to Transformation in the HIV Response." In his message for the Day, the UN Secretary-General recalls the progress made in recent decades but warns that for many people around the world, the crisis continues, and cuts to resources and services threaten "lives and hard-won gains."
According to Antonio GuterresThe fight against AIDS means empowering communities, investing in prevention, and expanding access to treatment for all. Every stage of this work, the UN chief believes, must be rooted in human rights, ensuring no one is left behind. "We can end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030," Guterres declared, calling for "finishing the job."
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