Impact on Racial and Ethnic Minorities

Content From: HIV.gov•Updated: October 8, 2024•7 min read

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Black and Latino communities are disproportionately affected by HIV compared to other racial/ethnic groups.

What Is the Impact of HIV on Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the U.S.?

HIV can affect anyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, age, or where they live. However, in the United States, some racial/ethnic groups are more affected than others, compared to their population size. This is because some population groups have higher rates of HIV in their communities, increasing the chance of HIV transmission with each sexual or injection drug use encounter.

Social and structural issues such as HIV stigma, homophobia, discrimination, poverty, education, and limited access to high-quality health care also affect people’s chances of getting HIV and their HIV-related outcomes.

People who identify as Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino are disproportionately affected by HIV compared to their population size, showing that effective HIV prevention and treatment are not adequately reaching these communities. People who identify as multiracial are also disproportionately impacted.

For example, according to CDC, approximately 31,800 individuals^a acquired HIV in the U.S. in 2022. Among these:

Black/African American people accounted for 37% (11,900), even though they made up 12% of the population.
Hispanic/Latino people accounted for 33% (10,500), even though they represented 18% of the population.
Multiracial people accounted for 4% (1,200), even though they represented 2% of the population.

*Source: CDC, Estimated HIV incidence and prevalence in the United States 2018–2022. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2029;29(1).*

In 2022, HIV incidence^b among Black/African American people in the United States decreased 18% when compared with 2018. HIV incidence among other racial/ethnic groups remained stable.

However, there remain significant differences in rates of HIV among different racial/ethnic groups. In 2022, the rate for Black/African American persons (34.1) was nearly 8 times the rate for White persons (4.4). The rate for Hispanic/Latino persons (20.7) was more than 4 times the rate for White persons (4.4). (All rates are per 100,000 population.)

Estimated HIV Infections by Race and Ethnicity, 2018-2022^c

Subpopulations

Certain subpopulations within racial and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately affected by HIV as well. For example:

Black/African American males. Black/African American males represented 36% of all new HIV infections among males in 2022. The rate for Black/African American males (55.1) was nearly 8 times the rate for White males (7.0) and nearly twice the rate for Hispanic/Latino males (36.5).
Hispanic/Latino males. Hispanic/Latino males represented 36% of all new HIV infections among males in 2022. The rate for Hispanic/Latino males (36.5) was 5 times the rate for White males (7.0).
Black/African American females. Black/African American females represented 47% of all new HIV infections among females in 2022. The rate for Black/African American females (15.1) was nearly 8 times the rate for White females (1.9) and more than 3 times the rate for Hispanic/Latino females (4.6)
Men who have sex with men (MSM) of color. Gay, bisexual, and other are by far the population most affected by HIV in the United States, particularly MSM of color. According to CDC, MSM accounted for 67% (21,400) of the 31,800 estimated new HIV infections in 2022. Among all MSM, 34% of new HIV infections were among Black/African Americans and 38% were among Hispanic/Latinos. Between 2018 and 2022, HIV infections decreased 16% among Black/African American MSM. HIV infections decreased 20% among White MSM. HIV infections among other racial/ethnic groups remained stable.
Young Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino MSM. According to CDC, In 2022, 43% of new HIV infections among Black/African American MSM and 47% of new HIV infections among Hispanic/Latino MSM were among males aged 25-34 years. Many Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino MSM with HIV, particularly young MSM aged 25-34 years, are unaware of their HIV infection. Lack of awareness of HIV status among young MSM may be due to recent infection or not getting tested. People who don’t know they have HIV don’t get the HIV treatment and care they need and can unknowingly transmit HIV to others through sex or sharing of needles, syringes, or other drug equipment.

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy and Priority Populations

National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States, 2022-2025

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025) is the nation’s roadmap for ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. It recognizes racism as a serious public health threat that drives and affects both HIV outcomes and disparities.

Priority Populations

The Strategy highlights that while HIV remains a threat in every part of the United States, certain populations bear most of the burden, signaling where our HIV prevention, care, and treatment efforts must be focused. It therefore designates five priority populations:

gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, in particular, Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native men
Black women
transgender women
youth aged 13-24 years
people who inject drugs.

The Strategy also set out targets for increasing to 95% the proportion of people with HIV in each of these priority populations who have a suppressed viral load.

The NHAS Federal Implementation Plan outlines federal agencies’ commitments to programs, policies, research, and activities designed to reduce HIV-related disparities and health inequities.

Learn More

For in-depth information about the impact of HIV on different racial and ethnic populations, see CDC’s Fast Facts: HIV in the United States by Race/Ethnicity.

For information about HIV diagnoses, deaths, and the number of people living with HIV in the U.S. by race and ethnicity, see CDC’s HIV Diagnoses, Deaths, and Prevalence, 2022.

For more information about the impact of HIV on the nation as a whole, see CDC’s Fast Facts: HIV in the United States.

The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and Racial and Ethnic Minority Populations

The Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP) provides a comprehensive system of HIV primary medical care, medications, and essential support services for low-income people with HIV who are uninsured and underserved. The program serves more than half a million clients each year, which is over 50 percent of people with diagnosed HIV in the United States.

Nearly three-quarters of RWHAP clients are from racial and ethnic minority populations. The percentage distribution of client populations by race/ethnicity has remained consistent since 2016. In 2022, approximately 44.5% of clients self-identified as Black/African American, 25.8% as White, 25.3% as Hispanic/Latino, and less than 2% each as American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and people of multiple races.

Further, in 2022, nearly 90% of RWHAP clients receiving HIV medical care were virally suppressed, exceeding the national viral suppression average of 66% among all people with diagnosed HIV. This is a critical component of ending the HIV epidemic because people with HIV who take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.

To learn more about HIV care outcomes for racial and ethnic minority clients and others served by the RWHAP program, view the RWHAP 2022 Annual Client-Level Data Report and the population-specific factsheets about clients served by the program.

Minority HIV/AIDS Fund

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Minority HIV/AIDS Fund is transforming HIV prevention, care, and treatment for communities of color by bringing federal, state, and community organizations together to design and test innovative solutions that address critical emerging needs and by working to improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of federal investments in HIV programs and services for racial and ethnic minorities.

Sources

CDC. Estimated HIV incidence and prevalence in the United States 2018–2022. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2029;29(1).
CDC. HV Surveillance Supplemental Report: Monitoring Selected National HIV Prevention and Care Objectives by Using HIV Surveillance Data United States and 6 Territories and Freely Associated States, 2022 HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2024;29(2).

Notes

^a The information on this page refers to individuals ages 13 and older unless otherwise noted.

^b HIV incidence refers to the estimated number of new HIV infections during a specified period (such as a year), which is different from the number of people diagnosed with HIV during a given year. Some people may have HIV for some time but not know it, so the year they are diagnosed may not be the same as the year they acquired HIV.

^c A change between 2018 and 2022 is assessed using a statistical test known as a Z test for trend, with a P value of .05 used to determine if the difference is significant. Data is for people aged 13 and older. Data for Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander people are not included because surveillance numbers are too small to produce reliable estimates.