In Malawi, HIV prevalence among men and women aged 15 to 49 decreased from 10.6 per cent in 2010 to 8.8 per cent in 2015-16, although prevalence among sex workers and men who have sex with men is still high: 62 and 21 per cent respectively.

New HIV infections steadily declined from 74,000 in 2012 to 34,000 in 2017, although over 50 per cent of the new infections occurred among adolescent girls and young women aged 15-24.

The high HIV prevalence among girls and women is attributed to early sexual debut; harmful cultural practices, including child marriage; lack of empowerment of girls and women to negotiate for safe sex; and limited access to HIV prevention information and services.