Highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection (country)

The country with the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection is Lesotho, a landlocked kingdom surrounded by South Africa. According to the World Heath Organisation, new infections appeared in 6.43 per 1000 people in Lesotho in 2019.

The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) was first recognised as a new disease in 1981 when young homosexual men were increasingly falling victim to infections. The virus targets the immune system and leaves the infected person vulnerable to infections and cancers. As the infection progresses, victims become immunodeficient, which means that they are more likely to contract diseases that healthy people would be able to cope with.