Sub-Saharan Africa is home to over 70% of the total world HIV-positive population. In the southernmost region we find countries with HIV prevalence rates of over 30%, the highest in the world. There is no overriding explanation for why HIV has exploded in some areas and not others. We tend to draw over-simplistic correlations between HIV/AIDS and demographics such as wealth, literacy, or fertility. This map allows you to view HIV prevalence along with other forms of demographic data to illustrate that many of these generalizations do not hold true.
Identifying what causes HIV to spread is a complicated and growing area of research. Specific factors that seem to play a role include patterns of sexual networking, levels of condom use with different partners, incidence of other sexually transmitted diseases, population mobility, and societal make-up. While over 90% of the world's HIV+ population live in poorer developing countries, some of the more wealthy countries, such as Botswana and South Africa, have higher HIV rates. This is in part because wealth facilitates population mobility, therefore increasing the spread of HIV.
