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HIV in the UK: facts and statistics

HIV is one of the fastest growing serious health conditions in the UK. There are now more people living with HIV in the UK than ever before, over a quarter of whom don’t know they have the virus.

Map of UK

Blood and blood products

HIV transmission through blood and blood products is extremely rare in the UK, as we have a very safe blood supply. The introduction of a viral inactivation system in 1985 and of regulations restricting or deferring donations to the National Blood Service (NBS) have been very successful. No case of HIV transmission in this way has been reported since 2005. The lifetime ban on men who have sex with men (MSM) donating blood in England, Scotland and Wales was relaxed in 2011 to a one year deferral.

Find out more about our stance on these restrictions.

Blood-related diagnoses do still occur in the UK, but they can usually be traced to exposure in countries that do not employ the same safety techniques. Since the introduction of testing for HIV in 1985, there have been three cases of transmission of the virus to patients through blood from donors in the ‘window period' for testing.

Statistics

Up to the end of 2010, just under 2,000 people had been infected with HIV through blood or tissue transfer.

Approximately 80% of cases were diagnosed before 1992. The majority of diagnoses since then are attributed to infections acquired outside of the UK.