The socio-demographic impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa UNFPA/Headquarters

Abstract

This paper explores information on HIV/AIDS in Africa in an effort to demonstrate the extent of the disease and its potential impact on demographic and in turn social phenomena in African countries. Although the discussions refer to Africa the emphasis of the discussions is on sub-saharan Africa. The next section briefly describes the extent and pattern of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Section III draws attention to some of the underlying environmental and socio cultural factors which determine the nature and outcome of HIV infection in Africa. In Section IV theoretical relations between HIV/AIDS and demographic phenomena are explored and issues related to data availability and measurement are also addressed. Finally Section V reports the findings of selected studies of the demographic impact of AIDS in Africa.