National HIV prevalence rates vary widely between countries. They range from under 2% of the adult population in some West African countries to around 20% or more in the southern part of the continent, with countries in central and East Africa have rates midway between these. However, prevalence rates do not convey people's lifetime risk of becoming infected and dying of AIDS. In the eight African countries where at least 15% of today's adults are infected, conservative analyses show that AIDS will claim the lives of around a third of today's 15 year olds. Sixteen African countries south of the Sahara have more than one -tenth of the adult population aged 15 - 49 infected with HIV. In seven countries, all in the southern cone of the continent, at least one adult in five is livingwith the virus.

In Botswana shocking 35.8 % of adults are now infected with HIV. In South Africa 19.9% of adults are infected with HIV. With a total of 4.2 million infected people, South Africa has the largest number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the world.
West Africa is relatively less affected by HIVinfection, but the prevalence rates in some large countries are creeping up.

Cote d1lvoireis already among the 15 worst affected countries in the world. Nigeria,by far the most populous country in sub-Saharan Africahas 5% of its adult population infected with HIV.
Infection rates in East Africa, once the highest on the continent, hover above those in the West of the continent but have been exceeded by the rates now being seeing in the Southern cone.

The prevalence rate among adults in Ethiopia and Kenya has reached double digit figures and continues to rise. Ethiopia 10.6% and Kenya 13.9% of the adult population (15-49)are livingwith HIV/AIDS.