The rates at which women are receiving a first-time HIV diagnosis in Ireland registered a marked increase in 2024 compared to the previous year, new data shows.

Last year, the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) recorded 989 HIV cases in Ireland, with 239 of these being first-time diagnoses. These numbers were similar to those recorded pre-pandemic.

The largest increase was registered among women aged 45 to 49, and women aged 25 to 29 accounted for the highest number of diagnoses within this group overall. Such rates in HIV cases among women in Ireland also show an increase compared to pre-pandemic levels.

According to the HPSC report, the majority of new diagnoses (67%) were found in men, with rates trending toward pre-pandemic levels. Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men continue to be a group that is particularly affected by HIV. While rates among this group increased in 2024 compared to the previous year, they remain lower than pre-pandemic levels.

41% of first-time diagnoses in 2024 were late-stage infections, underscoring the need to strengthen Ireland’s national response. The HPSC highlighted the need to deliver accessible prevention, testing and treatment interventions, as well as more targeted strategies
for higher-risk groups.

Ireland also had the second-highest rate of HIV diagnoses in the European Union last year, according to a joint report from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). The report found that among 30 EU countries, Ireland’s rate of HIV per 100,000 stands at 18.8, significantly higher than the average of 5.3.

People in Ireland are also currently facing year-long waiting lists when they try to access PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) in Ireland. As reported by The Journal, 809 people were on PrEP waiting lists in September 2025. For people who are HIV-negative, PrEP reduces the risk of transmission by preventing HIV from entering the body and making copies of itself. It does not offer protection against any other sexually transmitted infections.

Such rates of HIV cases come at the same time as what the UN described as the “most serious setback in decades” in global HIV prevention efforts due to funding cuts in several countries, including the US and the UK. According to current projections, a failure to reinstate funding and prevention efforts could result in an additional 3.3 million new HIV infections over the next five years, leaving adolescent girls and young women particularly at risk.