Key Summary
- HIV diagnoses in England continue to fall and the country but inequalities remain in testing and PrEP uptake.
- Black African heterosexual women and other ethnic minority groups are less likely to access HIV testing and prevention than gay and bisexual men.
- Late diagnosis is still common, especially in Black African communities.
A new report by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), shows that HIV diagnoses continue to decline in England, but significant inequalities remain in access to testing and PrEP.
The country has again met the UNAIDS 95–95–95 targets: 95 percent of people with HIV diagnosed, 95 percent of those on treatment, and 98 percent of people on treatment have a suppressed viral load.
However, the study revealed that significant disparities still remain when considering access to testing and PrEP, with Black African heterosexual women and other ethnic minority heterosexual groups less likely to use HIV services compared with gay and bisexual men.
Late diagnosis is still common, especially among Black African communities, often linked to stigma, fear of discrimination, and unequal access to services, despite free and confidential NHS HIV tests and PrEP.
The findings come from UKHSA’s 2026 HIV Action Plan monitoring report, which uses 2024 data to track progress toward England’s goals of reducing new HIV diagnoses to 532 and AIDS‑related deaths to 27 by 2030.
England’s ambitions appear achievable for some groups, but Black African communities and ethnic minority gay and bisexual men are at higher risk of being left behind without targeted action.
Over 1.3 million people were tested for HIV in sexual health services in 2024, with uptake at 78 percent among Black African heterosexual and bisexual women and 79 percent among other ethnic minority heterosexuals, versus more than 95 percent among gay and bisexual men.
The use of PrEP, a daily medicine that prevents HIV, has risen since its 2020 NHS rollout, with 111,123 people accessing it in 2024. Uptake is nearing 80 percent among gay and bisexual men identified as needing PrEP, but remains below 40 percent among Black African heterosexuals.
About 42 percent of those diagnosed in 2024 were diagnosed late, worsening health outcomes and increasing the risk of onward transmission. Among Black African heterosexual men, 57 percent were diagnosed late, and 45 percent among Black African heterosexual women.
Almost half of people living with HIV reported experiencing stigma, with Black African heterosexual men and other ethnic minority heterosexuals reporting the highest levels.
Dr Tamara Đjuretić, Consultant Epidemiologist and Head of the HIV Section at UKHSA, said it is encouraging that HIV diagnoses continue to fall and that England has met the UNAIDS milestones.
She added that condom use, testing, and PrEP are the most effective HIV prevention tools for sexually active people, and that HIV tests, PrEP, and in many areas free condoms are all available through the NHS and local sexual health services.
