Transgender people

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UNAIDS data 2024

02 December 2024

Suggested citation. UNAIDS DATA 2024. Geneva: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS; 2024. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Related: The 2024 global AIDS report The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads, released 22 July 2024, is available here

Documents

Take the rights path to end AIDS — World AIDS Day report 2024

26 November 2024

The world’s decades-long response to HIV is at an inflection point. Despite successes, the world is currently not on track to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Press release | Download full report | Download short version

Feature Story

Upholding dignity for everyone: Ariadne Ribeiro Ferreira

21 November 2024

Now 43 years old, Ariadne Ribeiro Ferreira, a trans woman working for UNAIDS in Brazil, advocates to leaders and speaks to media around the world. As she is an inspiration to colleagues, many are keen to learn more about Ariadne’s story.

From a young age, Ariadne sensed that she was different from those around her. “When my sister arrived, I understood, as a child, that I was like her,” Ariadne recalls.

Ariadne's situation, already challenging, became dangerous when her mother remarried. “My stepfather would beat me almost every day, berating me for my lifestyle,”  she recalls.

At just 13, Ariadne was forced to flee her home. "I had no choice," she remembers. Despite these difficulties, she was fortunate to have a caring grandmother who took her in and provided support. “My grandmother was different from the rest of the family. She was like a teacher to me,” Ariadne reflects. Her grandma had a transgender friend named Zeze, an activist who also inspired her.

At the age of eighteen while living with her grandmother, Ariadne’s life took a turn when she heard on the radio that a local hospital would begin offering sex change surgeries with state support. “My grandma was overjoyed at the news and danced for me,” Ariadne recalls with a smile. Shortly after Ariadne began her transition.

However, that same year she experienced a traumatic event when she contracted HIV after being raped. Despite this devastating ordeal, she refused to give up. She began treatment and continued her life with determination and resilience.

By the age of 24, she had completed all her surgeries, and she had been legally registered a woman. Ariadne officially changed her name on all her documents.

She pursued education to open up opportunities. “I had the chance to specialize at UNIFESP, the second-best university in Brazil. Since then, I have continued my education, earning a specialization, a master’s degree, and recently a Ph.D.”

Ariadne began her healthcare career in Itanhaém, where she worked in a peer education program at a health facility and contributed to a cooperation agreement with the State Government. “I focused on HIV prevention programs, gaining visibility as one of the few transgender professionals at the time,” she explains. “This recognition opened up new opportunities for me.”

Reflecting on her proudest achievements, Ariadne highlights her work with homeless individuals in São Paulo, Brazil and her role in establishing the state’s first shelter for homeless transgender people. Following these accomplishments, she joined UNAIDS in 2019, where she continues to advocate for transgender rights and supports people living with and affected by HIV, using her voice to uplift and empower others.

Ariadne's makes use of her extensive experience to champion the rights and well-being of everyone living with HIV, including UN staff. Working with UN Plus, she is pioneering innovative strategies to uphold dignity in every workplace.  Building a future free from stigma and discrimination, say Ariadne and UN Plus, is how to enable everyone to perform at their best, and to thrive.

UN Plus: UN-system HIV-positive staff group

Documents

HIV and transgender people — Thematic briefing note — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

Transgender people are disproportionally affected by HIV. Annual numbers of new HIV infections among transgender women increased by 3% from 2010 to 2022. Transgender women are at increased risk of HIV infection compared with the rest of the adult population. In 2022, the relative risk of acquiring HIV was 20 times higher for transgender women than for people in the wider population globally, a significant increase from the 11 times higher risk in 2010. Median HIV prevention coverage (receiving at least two prevention services) among transgender people is below the 2025 targets of 95% in almost all regions. Recent country reports indicate that coverage of transgender people during the past three months ranged from 28% in eastern and southern Africa (one reporting country) to 100% in Latin America (one reporting country). Criminalization of transgender people, stigma and discrimination, and violence based on gender identity or expression create significant barriers to achieving social justice and equality for transgender people, and to ensuring health for all through access and uptake of HIV services. Structural factors, including transphobia, result in discrimination, which leads to limited work opportunities, reduced access to health-care services, legal barriers, and mental health challenges. These factors also influence behavioural risk factors, including condomless sex, unsafe sex work, and sharing needles for hormone injections or drug use, leading to substantial inequalities in HIV outcomes. Gender-affirming care has been shown to improve antiretroviral therapy adherence, viral load suppression achievement, and HIV prevention in transgender people. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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Western and Central Europe and North America regional profile — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

There has been a 24% drop in the annual number of new HIV infections in western and central Europe and North America since 2010, and the number of AIDS-related deaths has declined by 34%. Numbers of new HIV infections among sex workers and their clients, however, have not declined at the same rate. Despite data showing ongoing progress in HIV prevention, persistent social and economic factors, including stigma and discrimination, continue to cause health disparities, compromising the health and well-being of people from marginalized communities. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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Western and Central Africa regional profile — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

Annual numbers of new HIV infections in western and central Africa declined by 46% between 2010 and 2023. The high numbers of new infections among people from key populations and adolescent girls and young women are challenges, however, and call for increased investment in primary prevention programmes. In 2023, adolescent girls and young women aged 15–24 years accounted for 19% of all new HIV infections. The expansion of differentiated services for HIV treatment have yielded marked progress, with 81% [62–97%] of people living with HIV knowing their status, 76% [59–92%] receiving antiretroviral therapy, and 70% [61–81%] having a suppressed viral load. The number of adults aged 15 years and over receiving HIV treatment has more than doubled since 2015. Between 2010 and 2023, numbers of AIDS-related deaths decreased by 55%. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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Middle East and North Africa regional profile — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

Numbers of new HIV infections in the Middle East and North Africa increased by 116% between 2010 and 2023. The HIV response remains a long way from achieving coverage targets for HIV by 2025. Yet, with HIV prevalence still very low, the region can rapidly reduce the number of new infections if countries take appropriate and effective actions that meet the needs of the populations most at risk of HIV. Ostracized and criminalized populations are disproportionally affected by the HIV epidemic. People from key populations and their sex partners accounted for an estimated 84% of new HIV infections in 2022, with gay men and other men who have sex with men experiencing especially steep rises in numbers of new HIV infections. Almost 20% of new HIV infections in the region were in young people aged 15–24 years, the majority of them male (55%). These epidemic patterns underscore the need for scaled-up HIV interventions for people from key populations and especially young people, and for reducing the societal and structural barriers that limit their access to needed services. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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Latin America — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

The annual number of new HIV infections in Latin America increased by 9% between 2010 and 2023, with eight countries experiencing increases since 2015. In 2022, a significant proportion (66%) of new HIV infections were among people from key populations and their sex partners. In 2022, numbers of new HIV infections were 20% higher than in 2010 among gay men and other men who have sex with men, 42% higher among sex workers, and 19% higher among transgender women. Numbers of AIDS-related deaths have decreased by 28% since 2010 overall, but increased among women in Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay and Peru. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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Eastern and Southern Africa regional profile — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

There has been major progress in the HIV response in eastern and southern Africa, the region most affected by the HIV pandemic. The annual number of people acquiring HIV fell by 59% from 1.1 million [880 000–1.4 million] to 450 000 [360 000–580 000] between 2010 and 2023. The number of AIDS-related deaths decreased by 57%, from 600 000 [490 000–770 000] to 260 000 [210 000–330 000] between 2010 and 2023. Despite this overall progress, adolescent girls and young women (aged 15–24 years) still accounted for 27% of new HIV infections and were three times as likely to acquire HIV than their male counterparts. HIV incidence decreased among all key populations from 2010 to 2022 in the region, but at slower rates among gay men and other men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs. It is essential to prioritize increased investment in intensified and more precise prevention efforts. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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Eastern Europe and Central Asia regional profile — 2024 global AIDS update The Urgency of Now: AIDS at a Crossroads

22 July 2024

The annual number of new HIV infections in eastern Europe and central Asia continues to rise. It reached 140 000 [120 000–160 000] in 2023, a 20% increase since 2010 . The region is off track to reach the targets to end AIDS by 2030. Four countries (Kazakhstan, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan) report 92% of all new registered HIV cases in the region according to published case reports from 15 of 16 countries. In 2022, 94% of new HIV infections were among people from key populations and their sex partners, and 15% of new infections were among sex workers. HIV case reporting in the region suggests that an increasing proportion of new HIV infections are transmitted sexually. Available data suggest one explanation for this is transmission from people who inject drugs or formerly injected drugs to their partners in addition to a growing recognition of transmission among men who have sex with men. Unsafe drug injecting practices are a key factor in the region’s epidemic, representing 27% of new HIV infections. Related links: New UNAIDS report shows AIDS pandemic can be ended by 2030, but only if leaders boost resources and protect human rights now | Full report

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