• More people are ageing with HIV. One in five new HIV diagnoses in Europe now occurs in people aged 50 or older and – by 2030, 70% of people living with HIV in the US will be 50+
• The lifetime cost of HIV treatment is up to $420,000 per person
• Older adults with HIV are more likely to face poverty, unemployment, and isolation than their peers – in the UK, for example, a third of those over 50 living with HIV are completely reliant on benefits

New research by the International Longevity Centre (ILC), supported by Gilead, warns that health systems in high-income countries are dangerously underprepared for the growing number of people ageing with HIV. Thanks to advances in antiretroviral therapy, people with HIV are living longer than ever before, but social, economic and health systems have failed to keep up.

Globally, the number of people living with HIV has grown five-fold since 1990, with AIDS-related deaths cut in half since their peak in 2004. But in high-income regions such as Australasia, Western Europe, and North America this success story brings a new challenge: ageing populations with HIV. By 2030, 70% of people living with HIV in the United States will be over 50. And older people also make up for a growing proportion of new diagnoses – 20% in Europe.

Yet the needs of older adults with HIV are not being met, argues ILC’s HIV and long lives report. They face a range of challenges, from managing complex health conditions to experiencing higher levels of stigma and isolation, as well as financial insecurity. Many are excluded from work, disconnected from support networks, and forced to navigate fragmented health systems, which has a profound impact on health, wellbeing, and economic security.

• HIV is an expensive illness, with long-term treatment costs per person exceeding £280,000 in the UK and $420,000 in the US
• Up to 80% of older adults with HIV are predicted to develop at least one age-related comorbidity
• Mental health challenges, including depression and anxiety, are much more common among older adults with HIV but remain under-addressed
• Nearly a third of people living with HIV are unemployed, contributing to economic hardship and social exclusion
• Older adults are often excluded from messaging around Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and other preventative measures, increasing risk and late diagnosis for older people.

At the same time, recent cuts to global health and HIV aid risk reinforcing the false narrative that the HIV crisis has been resolved. These cuts undermine decades of progress and threaten to leave ageing populations behind at the very moment they need more support.

ILC calls on governments to develop national HIV action plans, have opt-out testing for all blood tests, work closely with the community and voluntary sectors to deliver HIV care and support, and invest in harm reduction strategies around drug use and sex work to reduce the risk of transmission.

Without decisive action, decades of progress in HIV care and prevention risk could be reversed, argue ILC, with millions ageing in poverty, poor health, and exclusion.

Anna van Renen, ILC Research and Policy Officer and report author commented:

“We are entering new era of HIV – one where millions of people are growing older with the illness. We need to change the way we think about HIV, and who is at risk. We need to support people living with HIV to age with dignity, health and security. And in the UK, if the Government is serious about ending new transmissions by 2030, they must include support for groups like older people and women, expand access to testing, and integrate primary and HIV care.”

Baroness Barker, Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson (Voluntary Sector) “In addition to individual wellbeing, the issue is fundamentally about the economic capacity of the entire population. While HIV is no longer the devastating humanitarian crisis it once was, it still has a significant impact.”

Ends

Contacts

ILC – Press@ilcuk.org.uk. Spokespeople are available on request.

Notes:

This project has been made possible with the provision of a financial grant from Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd.

The full report HIV and long lives can be downloaded here: https://ilcuk.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/HIV-and-long-lives-report.pdf

ILC’s Healthy Ageing and Prevention Index can be found here: Prevention Index – ILCUK

Sources

European Centre for Disease Control. 2024. HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Europe: 2023. Available: https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/hiv-aids-surveillance-europe-2024-2023-data

Ehlers, L.H., et al. 2022. Cost of non-communicable diseases in people living with HIV in the Central Denmark Region. Available: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hiv.13414

Terrence Higgins Trust. 2017. HIV, sexual health and ageing. Available: https://www.tht.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/our-campaigns/past-campaigns/hiv-sexual-health-and-ageing

ViiV Healthcare. 2020. Meeting the evolving needs of people living with HIV. Available: https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-021-00048-z

Global Network of People Living with HIV. 2023. Hear Us Out: Community Measuring HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination. Available: https://www.stigmaindex.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PLHIV-Stigma-Index-Global-Report-2023-3.pdf