Nigeria recorded a total of 102,025 new HIV infections across its 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in 2025, with Lagos State accounting for the highest number of fresh cases, according to data contained in the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare’s State of the Health of the Nation Report 2025.
Data obtained by PUNCH shows that Lagos led the country with 10,430 new HIV infections during the year, underscoring the state’s significant share of Nigeria’s HIV burden despite sustained prevention campaigns.
Rivers State ranked second with 6,287 new infections, followed closely by Kano with 6,106 cases.
Other states with high numbers of newly recorded infections include Akwa Ibom (5,413), Taraba (4,854), Benue (4,804), Anambra (4,468), and Kaduna (3,659). Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory completed the top 10 with 2,989 and 2,764 new cases, respectively.
The report also showed that several other states recorded more than 2,000 new infections in 2025. They include Cross River (2,595), Sokoto (2,592), Abia (2,546), Imo (2,537), Delta (2,469), Borno (2,311), Ogun (2,107), Plateau (2,084), Niger (2,020) and Ebonyi (2,015).
At the other end of the spectrum, Ekiti recorded the fewest new HIV infections with 462 cases. It was followed by Bayelsa (982), Gombe (1,083), Osun (1,093), Kwara (1,371), Enugu (1,429), Yobe (1,483), Katsina (1,541) and Kebbi (1,572).
The state-by-state breakdown highlights the continued spread of HIV across the country, despite years of intensified prevention and treatment efforts by the Federal Government and its development partners.
