HIV prevalence among pregnant women in South Africa has dropped to below 30% for the first time since 2004. The latest HIV prevalence rate is 27.5%, down from 30% in 2019.

The Antenatal HIV sentinel surveillance survey has been conducted annually since 1990 and every two years since 2015 among pregnant women (age 15-49) attending government antenatal clinics around South Africa.

The latest survey between 28 February and 8 April 2022 comprised 37,828 pregnant women at 1,589 public health facilities.

HIV prevalence has decreased in all 9 provinces since 2019. The highest is in KwaZulu-Natal 37.2% (down from 40.9%). The lowest is in the Western Cape at 16.3% (down from 17.9%).

The decline could be because women with higher HIV prevalence have aged out of the 15-49 age group and have been replaced by younger women with lower HIV prevalence.

Go to Bhekisisa.org.za for in-depth coverage of the survey findings.