New HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections in Korea declined, but the cases remained concentrated among young people.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) published its "2025 HIV/AIDS Reporting Status Yearbook" on Tuesday, reporting 927 new HIV infections last year. The figure represents a decrease of 48 cases (4.9%) from the previous year's 975.
By age, those in their 30s accounted for the largest group at 381 (41.1%), followed by those in their 20s at 231 (24.9%). People in their 20s and 30s made up 66.0% of all new infections, continuing the pattern of infections centered on younger people. Those in their 40s numbered 134 (14.5%), and those in their 50s 101 (10.9%).
The proportion of foreign nationals among new infections increased. Among last year's new infections, 268 were foreign nationals, accounting for 28.9% of the total, up 2.2 percentage points from the previous year. Koreans, meanwhile, numbered 659 (71.1%). By gender, there were 822 men (88.7%) and 105 women (11.3%).
Among the 529 people who responded regarding their transmission route, 524 (99.1%) said they were infected through sexual contact. Of these, same-sex sexual contact accounted for 328 cases, or 62.6% of sexual contact infections. Infections from sharing drug injection needles totaled five (0.9%).
Hospitals and clinics were the institutions that first identified HIV infections in the largest number of cases, at 565 (61.0%), followed by public health centers at 298 (32.1%). In epidemiological investigations, the most common reason for testing was voluntary testing at 207 cases (31.9%), followed by testing to identify the cause of illness (26.2%) and pre-surgery or pre-hospitalization testing (22.5%).
The number of people living with HIV continues to rise steadily. As of last year, there were 17,557 people living with HIV/AIDS in Korea, an increase of 535 from the previous year. Among them, 2,294 were aged 65 or older, accounting for 13.1% of the total, an expanded share from the previous year's 12.2%.
The KDCA plans to continue supporting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and promoting early testing under the Second Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome Prevention and Management Plan (2024–2028). "It is important to avoid unsafe sexual contact, to get tested promptly if infection is suspected, and to begin treatment immediately upon a confirmed diagnosis," KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan stressed.
