HIV Cases in Malaysia 2026: Latest Figures, Trends and Who Is Most Affected
[ Back to News Page ] Dated: 27-Sep-2026
Quick answer: Malaysia recorded 3,004 new HIV cases in 2025 (provisional), according to the latest Ministry of Health figures released in January 2026. That is the lowest yearly total since 2021, and below the average of 3,169 new cases a year since 2018. Most new infections are among young men and are passed on through sex.
Latest figures: new HIV cases in Malaysia by year
In a written reply to Parliament in January 2026, the Ministry of Health (MOH) gave the number of new HIV cases for each year since 2018.
| Year | New HIV cases |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 3,293 |
| 2019 | 3,564 |
| 2020 | 3,146 |
| 2021 | 2,760 |
| 2022 | 3,177 |
| 2023 | 3,220 |
| 2024 | 3,185 |
| 2025 (provisional) | 3,004 |
Full-year figures for 2026 have not been published yet. We will update this article when the Ministry releases them.
Who is most affected?
The most detailed recent breakdown covers the 3,185 new cases recorded in 2024:
This is a big change from the early 2000s. In 2005, 66% of new cases were linked to sharing needles among people who inject drugs. By 2024, that had fallen to 2.4%, which the Health Minister credited to the harm reduction programme introduced in 2005–2006.
Is HIV going down in Malaysia?
Over the long term, yes. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said in November 2025 that new HIV infections fell by 54% between 2002 and 2024. But progress has slowed: new cases have stayed at roughly 3,000 to 3,500 a year since 2018, and cases linked to homosexual or bisexual contact rose from 1,995 cases in 2023 to 2,037 in 2024.
What Malaysia is doing about it
- Treatment: 50,694 people were receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment at MOH facilities in 2024, up from 48,765 in 2023. The Ministry spent up to RM223 million on ARV medicines between 2021 and 2025.
- Prevention medicine (PrEP): 9,309 people started HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis between January 2023 and mid-2025, at 35 government health clinics.
- Harm reduction: needle-syringe and related programmes have sharply cut infections among people who inject drugs.
- Education and outreach: school programmes and online testing information aimed at young people.
What this means for you
About 3,000 Malaysians are still diagnosed with HIV every year, and many more may not know they have it. Testing is the only way to know your status, and treatment lets people with HIV live long, healthy lives.
- Get tested if you are sexually active, especially if you have had condomless sex or more than one partner. See our guide to where to get an HIV test in Malaysia.
- Use condoms and ask a doctor whether PrEP is right for you.
- Act within 72 hours after a possible exposure and ask about PEP.
- Test at the right time. Read about the HIV window period before you test.
Prefer private screening at home?
The iCare HIV 1&2 Home Test Kit lets you screen privately with a fingertip blood sample. A reactive result must be confirmed at a clinic.
Sources: The Star, “Average of 3,169 new HIV cases recorded annually since 2018,” 22 January 2026 (thestar.com.my); CodeBlue, “Young men drive most new HIV cases, MOH says,” 7 August 2025 (codeblue.galencentre.org); The Star, “Malaysia sees 54% drop in new HIV infections over two decades,” 12 November 2025 (thestar.com.my); CodeBlue, “Over 9,000 patients nationwide on PrEP,” 29 August 2025 (codeblue.galencentre.org).
