Pakistan is among only 21 countries worldwide where new HIV infections continue to climb, even as the global community has made measurable progress in containing the epidemic, according to a report published in The News Pakistan. The findings arrive at a precarious moment: international funding for HIV programmes fell sharply in 2025, threatening to undo years of hard-won gains.

Pakistan's Rising Infection Curve

Between 2010 and 2025, Pakistan recorded a rise of more than 20 per cent in new HIV infections, according to the report. The country is grouped alongside Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, and the Philippines as nations where the epidemic continues to expand rather than contract. This places Pakistan in a troubling minority at a time when most of the world is moving in the opposite direction.

Global Funding Cuts Threaten Progress

The report warns that the global HIV response has entered a fragile phase following unprecedented funding reductions in 2025. External financing for HIV programmes fell 18 per cent compared with 2024, disrupting prevention programmes, HIV testing, community-led services, and other essential interventions across many low- and middle-income countries. While several nations have managed to sustain antiretroviral treatment by mobilising domestic resources, HIV prevention programmes remain acutely vulnerable given their heavy dependence on external funding.

Pakistan's Global Fund Bid

Against this backdrop, Pakistan is preparing a Grant Cycle 8 funding request to the Global Fund, seeking more than $50 million for HIV interventions as part of a broader proposal that also covers tuberculosis and malaria. The proposed grant is intended to support antiretroviral treatment, HIV testing, laboratory strengthening, medicines and diagnostics procurement, disease surveillance, prevention programmes for high-risk groups, and efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The outcome of this funding request could prove decisive for the country's ability to reverse its upward infection trend.

The Global Picture in 2025

Globally, an estimated 41 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2025, according to the report. Approximately 1.2 million people acquired the virus during the year, while 570,000 died from AIDS-related illnesses. Experts warn that if the funding shortfall is not addressed urgently, the number of new infections and deaths could rise further in the years ahead, particularly in countries already on an adverse trajectory like Pakistan.

What Needs to Happen Next

The report underscores that restoring investment — both from international donors and domestic governments — is critical to preventing a reversal of decades of progress. For Pakistan specifically, securing the Global Fund grant and complementing it with stronger domestic financing will be essential steps. Without these measures, the country risks deepening an already worsening public health crisis.