721 people are currently living with HIV in Malta, Health Minister Jo Etienne Abela told parliament on Wednesday.
Responding to a series of parliamentary questions by Opposition MP Graziella Attard Previ, the minister said the figure may shift over time due to patients with HIV moving into or out of the country.
Abela also confirmed 125 new HIV cases were diagnosed up to 28 November 2025. When asked about the total number of people living with HIV in Malta and Gozo during 2024, the minister directed parliament to an earlier reply and did not provide additional figures during Wednesday’s sitting.
The government has repeatedly promised to add PEP and PrEP to the National Formulary list.
The pledge was included in the Labour Party’s election manifesto and restated in the Sexual Health Strategy announced in December 2024. When contacted by this paper in July, the Health Ministry said the tender for the medication was being renegotiated since the previous one was due to expire.
A worsening situation
Recent figures released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) show Malta’s HIV situation worsening, with the country recording the highest per capita rate of new HIV diagnoses in Europe for the second consecutive year.
In 2024, Malta registered 20.6 diagnoses per 100,000 people, equivalent to 116 cases, the highest level in a decade and nearly four times the EU and EEA average. Men accounted for the vast majority of cases, resulting in a male-to-female ratio of 11.8, the steepest imbalance anywhere in Europe.
Activists have expressed mounting frustration at what they describe as years of government delay, silence and broken promises on HIV prevention and treatment. They argue political inaction and a lack of transparency are compounding stigma and preventing Malta from delivering the universal healthcare it has promised.
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