Top 10 Nigerian States With the Highest Number of HIV Infections in 2025 (Full List)

• Lagos recorded the highest number of newly reported HIV infections in Nigeria in 2025, followed by Rivers and Kano, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Lagos State recorded the highest number of newly reported HIV infections in Nigeria in 2025, with 10,430 new cases, according to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025.

The report revealed that 102,025 new HIV infections were recorded across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) during the year, underscoring the continued burden of the virus despite ongoing prevention and treatment efforts.

Rivers State ranked second with 6,287 newly reported infections, while Kano State followed closely with 6,106 cases.

Other states recording significant numbers of new HIV infections included Akwa Ibom (5,413), Taraba (4,854), Benue (4,804), Anambra (4,468), Kaduna (3,659), Adamawa (2,989) and the Federal Capital Territory (2,764).

Top 10 States With the Highest New HIV Infections in 2025

1. Lagos – 10,430
2. Rivers – 6,287
3. Kano – 6,106
4. Akwa Ibom – 5,413
5. Taraba – 4,854
6. Benue – 4,804
7. Anambra – 4,468
8. Kaduna – 3,659
9. Adamawa – 2,989
10. Federal Capital Territory (FCT) – 2,764

The report also identified several other states that recorded more than 2,000 newly reported HIV infections during the year. These include Cross River (2,595), Sokoto (2,592), Abia (2,546), Imo (2,537), Delta (2,469), Borno (2,311), Ogun (2,107), Plateau (2,084), Niger (2,020) and Ebonyi (2,015).

At the other end of the ranking, Ekiti State recorded the fewest newly reported HIV infections with 462 cases. It was followed by Bayelsa (982), Gombe (1,083), Osun (1,093), Kwara (1,371), Enugu (1,429), Yobe (1,483), Katsina (1,541) and Kebbi (1,572).

The report provides a snapshot of the geographical distribution of newly reported HIV infections across the country and comes amid renewed calls by public health experts for sustained investment in HIV prevention, testing and treatment programmes.

Health experts also noted that the figures represent newly reported cases, not the overall prevalence of HIV in each state. They explained that factors such as population size, urbanisation and access to HIV testing services can significantly influence the number of infections detected.

According to the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA), Nigeria’s national adult HIV prevalence remains about 1.3 per cent, with an estimated 1.9 million people living with HIV.