HIV antibody testing results among the population of the Russian Federation in 2010–2025
Objective. Evaluation of the dynamics of HIV antibody testing coverage among the population of the Russian Federation (RF), the structure of the survey population, and the incidence of new HIV infection cases.Sokolova E.V., Ladnaia N.N., Pokrovsky V.V.
Materials and methods. Data from Federal Statistical Monitoring Form № 4 «Information on the Results of HIV Antibody Blood Tests» for the period 1987–2025, as well as summary data and indicators for the constituent entities of the Russian Federation were analyzed.
Results. HIV testing coverage among the general population in the RF has been increasing annually. In 2025, HIV testing coverage was uneven across regions, with 27 regions exceeding the national average. The HIV detection rate among Russian citizens in 2025 decreased by 17.3% compared to 2024 and by 43.5% compared to the long-term average. This decline in detection is due to ongoing changes in the structure of tested populations. In recent years, there has been a shift toward increasing testing coverage among the general population at the expense of groups at high risk of HIV infection. In 2025, women constituted the majority (53.9%) of all Russians tested for HIV, but HIV infection was twice as likely to be newly diagnosed among men tested.
Conclusion. HIV antibody testing coverage in Russia is high and continues to increase. The rate of new HIV cases among tested Russians is declining, which is attributable to a number of factors, including changes in the testing structure. New cases of HIV infection are detected significantly more frequently among vulnerable populations than among the general population, but the proportion of these groups among all those tested for HIV is extremely small and continues to decline.
Keywords
HIV infection
testing
Russian Federation
References
1. Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: On the Fast Track to Accelerating the Fight against HIV and to Ending the AIDS Epidemic by 2030, United Nations, 2016. A/70/L.52, 26 p. https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/ media_asset/2016-political-declaration-HIV-AIDS_en.pdf.
2. Global HIV & AIDS statistics. Fact sheet. UNAIDS, 2025. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/fact-sheet
About the Authors
Ekaterina V. Sokolova, Cand. Med. Sci., Researcher, Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russia; epid@hiv-russia.ru; http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2001-8772Natalia N. Ladnaia, Cand. Biol. Sci., Senior Researcher, Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russia; n.ladnaya@hiv-russia.ru; http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2994-151Х
Professor Vadim V. Pokrovsky, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, MD, Central Research Institute of Epidemiology, Russian Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, Moscow, Russia; http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9514-7288
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