Malawi is a country in Southern Africa that some 19 million people call their home. It is among the poorest countries in Africa. 8 in 10 Malawians live in the country side where they are mostly engaged in subsistence farming or fishing.
The HIV prevalence in Malawi is one of the world’s highest – with around 8% of the population living with HIV according to UNAIDS (2020). 21,000 Malawians got HIV in 2020 and 12,000 died of AIDS related illnesses.
- Almost 9 out of 10 sex workers were living with HIV in one district in Malawi
HIV prevalence in women and girls (15-49) is just under 11% and for men and boys it is 7%. Young women and adolescent girls (15-24) are twice as likely to live with HIV compared to boys and young men in the same group.
According to UNAIDS 7% of men who have sex with men (MSM) live with HIV and the same goes for 55% of sex workers. In the case of the latter two it is almost certain that there is a high degree of under reporting and the real numbers are likely to be higher.
Centre for Development of People, CEDEP, a long-standing partner of the Danish AIDS Foundation (see below) carried out an informal and non-representative study that suggested that as many as 88% of the sex workers in one area were living with hiv. That is roughly 9 out of 10.
About CEDEP
Centre for Development of People (CEDEP) was the first LGBT+ organization in Malawi and it works to organize, build capacity and advocate for respect for the rights of LGBT+ people. And for equal access to health services.