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CodeSH.HIV.ARTC.ZS
Indicator NameAntiretroviral therapy coverage (% of people living with HIV)
Short definitionAntiretroviral therapy coverage indicates the percentage of all people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
Long definitionAntiretroviral therapy coverage indicates the percentage of all people living with HIV who are receiving antiretroviral therapy.
SourceUNAIDS estimates, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), uri: https://aidsinfo.unaids.org/, publisher: UNAIDS, date accessed: 2025-08-27, date published: 2025-07
TopicHealth: Risk factors
DatasetWB_WDI
PeriodicityAnnual
Reference period2000-2024
Aggregation methodWeighted average
Statistical concept and methodologyMethodology: UNAIDS produces annual HIV/AIDS-related indicators using a common modelling framework (Spectrum). The model integrates country-reported data on HIV surveillance, antiretroviral therapy (ART) coverage, demographic information, and established patterns of HIV transmission, disease progression, and survival. Because many countries lack complete case reporting or cause-of-death data, these figures are modelled estimates and include uncertainty ranges. UNAIDS updates the estimates each year as new data and methods become available, ensuring internal consistency across all HIV/AIDS-related indicators. Reference: Annex 1 Methods for deriving UNAIDS HIV estimates — 2025 Global AIDS Update — AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/2025-08/JC3153_GAU25_report_annex1_en.pdf
Development relevanceAntiretroviral therapy (ART) is central to the global HIV response and has significantly improved both survival and quality of life for people living with HIV. Effective ART suppresses viral load to undetectable levels, preventing progression to AIDS. When viral load remains undetectable, HIV is not sexually transmitted to HIV-negative partners. Despite this progress, gaps in treatment persist. Nearly 10 million people living with HIV are not receiving ART, and according to UNAIDS, about half of them reside in Africa. Expanding access to ART remains essential for reducing HIV-related morbidity and mortality and for achieving global targets for ending AIDS as a public health threat. (Reference: https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/2025-07/2025-global-aids-update-JC3153_en.pdf)
Limitations and exceptionsThe limited availability of data on health status is a major constraint in assessing the health situation in developing countries. Surveillance data are lacking for many major public health concerns. Estimates of prevalence and incidence are available for some diseases but are often unreliable and incomplete. National health authorities differ widely in capacity and willingness to collect or report information.
License URLhttps://datacatalog.worldbank.org/public-licenses#cc-by
License TypeCC BY-4.0
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