Spectrum file request

Every year, the UNAIDS secretariat compiles key HIV estimates.  The estimates are created using  data shared by country HIV estimates teams via mathematical modeling using Spectrum. The Spectrum files are developed and maintained by a country team of experts. UNAIDS (with Country approval) make these files public to allow greater transparency in how the global estimates are derived. Permission to make the files public is requested from countries in May 2024. Some countries chose not to share the files or have not created Spectrum files in 2024. The data from these files are referred to as UNAIDS 2024 estimates but the final year of data entered into the files is as of December 2023. The files should be viewed using Spectrum version 6.35.

Caution should be taken if using the results beyond the year 2023. Those projections are heavily influenced by the projected ART and PMTCT coverage that the country team included in the file. In some instances it will be based on national coverage targets and in other instances it is just a scenario that the team was working on when they submitted the files. UNAIDS does not review the data inputs for the years 2024 and beyond and does not vouch for their accuracy.

The Spectrum files are complex and should only be used by individuals who are familiar with the software and the process of generating HIV estimates. Training material to guide users through the process of generating HIV estimates is available here https://hivtools.unaids.org/hiv-estimates-training-material-en/

To gain access to the files please fill in the form below. The UNAIDS secretariat manages access to the country files on the basis of the proposed objective of their use by the applicant. We highly recommend that any researcher using these files contact the estimates team in the countries to be included in their analysis to identify a suitable co-author. In addition, we recommend that manuscripts published based on the use of these files should be shared with the countries included in any analysis before publication. 

If you simply need the summary data produced by these files please visit http://aidsinfo.unaids.org

Click here to request access to the national HIV estimates file