Iraq recorded over 900 HIV cases, 39 deaths in 2025: Health ministry

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq recorded 904 HIV cases and 39 related deaths in 2025, including 31 cases and no fatalities in the Kurdistan Region, according to a health ministry report.

The report, obtained by Rudaw’s Malik Mohammed, compiles health and demographic statistics for 2025 and shows that of the 904 people diagnosed with HIV, 747 were men and 157 were women, including 14 pregnant women.

Baghdad recorded the highest number of cases nationwide, with 404 infections and 21 deaths, accounting for nearly 45 percent of all reported infections and more than half of the fatalities.

Across Iraq, the HIV incidence rate stood at 0.20 cases per 10,000 people, while the mortality rate was 0.009 deaths per 10,000 people, according to the ministry.

In the Kurdistan Region, Erbil recorded the highest number of infections, with 26 cases involving 23 men and three women. Duhok reported three cases, all among men, while Sulaimani recorded just two cases, the lowest number among Iraq's provinces.

No HIV-related deaths were recorded in the Kurdistan Region during the year.

HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, attacks the body's immune system and can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) if left untreated. Although there is no cure, antiretroviral treatment can suppress the virus, allowing people living with HIV to lead long and healthy lives.