Since the start of the AIDS epidemic, more than 78 million people have been infected with HIV and 39 million have died. Acquiring HIV no longer means certain death. A person on HIV treatment in a high-income setting now has nearly the same life expectancy as a person who does not have the virus. However, only two out of five people living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy. Among people who do have access, great inequities exist. People living with HIV are being left behind because they are not benefitting from health care, employment, education or social protection. This is often due to stigma, discrimination, prohibitive laws and policies or a lack of services.
