SRINAGAR: Jammu Kashmir has recorded 604 HIV/AIDS-related deaths between 2020 and 2024, according to figures tabled in the Rajya Sabha by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the Union Territory rose from 3,806 in 2020-21 to 4,577 in 2024-25, while annual new infections ranged between 174 and 284 over the five-year period.
On the national scale, India reported 32,162 HIV/AIDS-related deaths in 2024, down from 41,970 in 2021. The total number of people living with HIV/AIDS in the country increased steadily from 18,10,122 in 2020-21 to 21,49,252 in 2024-25. Annual new infections nationally were 57,549 in 2020, peaking at 68,457 in 2023 before declining to 64,465 in 2024.
In Jammu Kashmir, the figures show a relatively smaller epidemic compared to larger states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, which have each recorded hundreds of thousands living with the virus and thousands of annual deaths in the same period.
Overall, India has witnessed a cumulative total of 1,91,565 HIV/AIDS-related deaths between 2020 and 2024, highlighting the continuing public health challenge despite declines in annual mortality in recent years.
