Syria recorded 103 HIV cases in the first half of 2026, after 212 cases in 2025 and 87 in 2024. Registered cases had risen from 30 in 2020 to 95 in 2023.
The increase does not necessarily mean all infections were newly acquired in Syria. It is partly linked to returning Syrians previously diagnosed abroad, wider testing, improved surveillance, and increased treatment registration.
Cases are detected through testing centers, premarital clinics, blood banks, and targeted screenings. The Ministry of Health provides free treatment and was following 617 people living with HIV by the end of 2025.
The widely cited figure of 1,538 cases is cumulative, not the number recorded in a single year. Current figures show a clear rise in detected cases, but do not alone reveal the true scale or timing of transmission
