The Black Epidemic: By the Numbers

Race of Newly Infected

An estimated 56,300 people were newly infected in 2006, the most recent year for which data is available. The racial breakdown among them was:

Race of All HIV-Positive

An estimated 1.1 million people are HIV positive in the United States. The racial breakdown among them is:

Rate of Infection

Black Americans were infected at a rate seven times that of whites in 2006 -- and Black women were infected at a rate almost 15 times that of whites. The number of people infected per 100,000, by race, was:

Infection Over Time

Black Americans' share of new infections has grown steadily over time. By the late 1980s, Blacks began accounting for the largest share of new infections.

Estimated new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, by race/ethnicity, extended back-calculation model, 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, 1977-2006:

Among Women

An estimated 14,410 Black, white and Latina women were newly infected in 2006. The racial breakdown among them was:

Among Men

An estimated 39,820 Black, white and Latino men were newly infected in 2006. The racial breakdown among them was:

Among Gay and Bisexual Men

Gay and bisexual men accounted for more than half of all new infections in 2006. The racial breakdown among them was:

Where Newly HIV-Positive Live

The South is the modern epidemic's geographic frontline, in part because of its sizable Black population. The regional breakdown for new infections in 2006 was:

Race of Americans Tested

One in ten Americans said in 2006 that they got tested for HIV in the previous year, but Blacks tested at higher rates than any other racial or ethnic group. The share of people who reported getting tested was:

Race of Undiagnosed HIV-Positive

An estimated one in five HIV positive Americans don't know they are infected.* But the most recent race-based data shows more than half of positive Blacks are undiagnosed.

How Black Men Get Infected

Male-to-male sexual contact was the primary risk factor for 72 percent of all men infected in 2006. Among Black men who tested positive, risk factors included:

Undiagnosed Gay and Bisexual Men

A five-city study published in 2005 found 46 percent of Black gay and bisexual men to be HIV positive; well over half of them did not know it. The percentage of undiagnosed infections was:

How Black Women Get Infected

Black women got infected at a rate 18 times that of whites in 2006. Risk factors included:

How STDs Help HIV

A person with an STD is two to five times more likely to contract HIV when exposed to it, and HIV positive people who have an STD are more infectious.* In 2006, Blacks had the highest rates of all STDs.

Who's Dying

In 2006, 7,426 Black Americans died from AIDS -- more than twice that of any other group, but 1,253 fewer than the previous year. The racial breakdown for all Americans killed by AIDS as of 2006 is:

Who's Living

Black Americans are less likely to live 10 years with HIV infection. The share of people diagnosed between 1997 and 2004 who were still alive after nine years is:

Advanced Disease

Since combination therapy became available in the mid-1990s, Blacks have represented the largest share of people with HIV infections that have advanced to AIDS.

Proportion of AIDS cases among adults and adolescents by race/ethnicity and year of diagnosis, United States and dependent areas, 1985-2006: