Global coverage of antiretroviral therapy for children living with HIV reached 77% in 2025. This figure, reported in a new analysis, represents a substantial increase in the number of young patients receiving the life-saving medication they need. The data signals a major advance in the decades-long effort to control the paediatric HIV epidemic.
Reaching 77% coverage means that more than three-quarters of all children diagnosed with HIV are now on treatment. For context, this is a significant jump from previous years, where coverage often lagged far behind adult treatment rates. The improvement suggests that global health initiatives targeting children are finally gaining critical momentum and overcoming long-standing barriers to care.
This progress is not just a statistic; it translates directly into thousands of children living longer, healthier lives. Antiretroviral therapy suppresses the virus, allowing a child's immune system to recover and preventing the progression to AIDS. In practical terms, achieving this level of coverage reduces childhood mortality and enables those living with HIV to thrive into adolescence and adulthood.
The increase to 77% likely results from a combination of factors, including improved diagnostic services for infants, better drug formulations for children, and stronger supply chains for paediatric medicines. Programs focusing on preventing mother-to-child transmission have also created a pipeline for identifying and enrolling HIV-positive children into care early. However, correlation does not imply causation, and the report does not specify which interventions drove the gains.
Despite the positive trend, the remaining 23% gap represents a persistent and urgent challenge. An estimated several hundred thousand children with HIV are still not receiving treatment, primarily in sub-Saharan Africa and other high-burden regions. These children face a high risk of severe illness and death, underscoring that the fight is far from over even as a major milestone is reached.
In practice, this level of coverage requires a massive, sustained logistical effort. It involves training healthcare workers to manage paediatric cases, ensuring a consistent supply of child-friendly drug formulations, and supporting families to adhere to complex treatment regimens. The 77% figure indicates that health systems in many affected countries are building this essential capacity.
Looking ahead, the trajectory suggests that the 90-90-90 treatment targets for children—where 90% of those with HIV know their status, 90% of those diagnosed are on treatment, and 90% of those on treatment are virally suppressed—are now within closer reach. The next major data release on global HIV targets will show whether this growth rate can be maintained to close the final coverage gap.
The critical watchpoint is whether this rate of increase can be sustained through 2026 and beyond. Future reports will need to monitor if progress plateaus as programs reach the hardest-to-access children in remote areas or marginalized communities. The next global AIDS update, expected later in 2026, will provide the definitive analysis on whether the world is on track to end paediatric AIDS.
