The HIV/AIDS Survey Indicators Database offers an internationally-accepted, consistent method for measuring factors related to HIV prevention across countries, such as prevention and treatment spending and policies, knowledge and availability of methods of prevention, and attitudes towards people with HIV.
The indicators used in this database were drawn from guides from UNAIDS, the UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS), the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the Global Fund to Fight HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis. Information on these original sources are below.
| Code |
Indicator Label |
| 1 |
Policy and political commitment |
| 1.1 |
AIDS Programme Effort Index (API) |
| 1.2 |
Spending on HIV prevention programs |
| 2 |
Condom availability and quality |
| 2.1 |
Condoms available for distribution nationwide |
| 2.2 |
Retail outlets and services with condoms in stock |
| 2.3 |
Condoms that meet quality control measures |
| 2.4 |
Adult support of education on condom use for prevention of HIV/AIDS among young people |
| 2.5 |
Knowledge of a formal source of condoms among young people. |
| 2.6 |
Percentage of young people aged 15-24 who report they could get condoms on their own |
| 3 |
Stigma and discrimination |
| 3.1 |
Accepting attitudes towards those living with HIV - Composite of 4 components |
| 3.1.1 |
Accepting attitudes - Willing to care for family member sick with AIDS (1) |
| 3.1.2 |
Accepting attitudes - Would buy fresh vegetables from a shopkeeper with AIDS (2) |
| 3.1.3 |
Accepting attitudes - Female teacher who is HIV+ but not sick should be allowed to continue teaching in school (3) |
| 3.1.4 |
Accepting attitudes - Not secretive about family member's HIV status (4) |
| 3.1.5 |
Accepting attitudes - Approving of (2) food vendors and (3) teachers (MICS) |
| 3.1.6 |
Accepting attitudes - (1) caring and (3) approving teachers (DHS) |
| 3.1.7 |
Accepting attitudes - person allowed to keep HIV+ status private |
| 3.2 |
Employers ensuring no discrimination against people with HIV |
| 4 |
Knowledge |
| 4.0.1 |
Heard of HIV/AIDS |
| 4.1 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Composite of 2 components (prompted) |
| 4.1.1 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Composite of 3 components (prompted) |
| 4.1.2 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Use of condoms (prompted) |
| 4.1.3 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Only one partner (prompted) |
| 4.1.4 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Abstain from sex (prompted) |
| 4.1.5 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Use of condoms (spontaneous) |
| 4.1.6 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Only one/ limiting partners (spontaneous) |
| 4.1.7 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Abstain from sex (spontaneous) |
| 4.1.8 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention methods - Believe there is no way to avoid AIDS |
| 4.2 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - Composite of 3 components |
| 4.2.1 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - Healthy-looking person can have the AIDS virus |
| 4.2.2 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - AIDS cannot be transmitted by mosquito bites |
| 4.2.3 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - AIDS cannot be transmitted by supernatural means |
| 4.2.4 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - reported both 4.2.1 and 4.2.2 |
| 4.2.5 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - reported 4.2.1, 4.2.2, and 4.2.3 |
| 4.2.6 |
No incorrect beliefs about AIDS - Cannot become infected by sharing food with someone who has AIDS |
| 4.3 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention among males having sex with males |
| 4.4 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention among injecting drug users |
| 4.4.1 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention among injecting drug users - switching to non-injectable drugs |
| 4.4.2 |
Knowledge of HIV prevention among injecting drug users - avoiding sharing injecting equipment |
| 4.5 |
Knowledge of prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV |
| 4.5.1 |
Knowledge of prevention of MTCT - Can be prevented by mother taking ART during pregnancy |
| 4.5.2 |
Knowledge of prevention of MTCT - Can be prevented by mother avoiding breastfeeding |
| 4.5.3 |
Knowledge of mother to child transmission of HIV |
| 4.5.4 |
Knowledge of MTCT - During pregnancy |
| 4.5.5 |
Knowledge of MTCT - During delivery |
| 4.5.6 |
Knowledge of MTCT - Through breastfeeding |
| 4.5.7 |
Knowledge of MTCT - During pregnancy, delivery, and breast feeding |
| 4.6 |
Comprehensive correct knowledge about AIDS (2 ways to prevent AIDS and reject 3 misconceptions) |
| 4.6.1 |
Comprehensive correct knowledge about AIDS (3 ways to prevent AIDS and reject 3 misconceptions) |
| 4.7 |
Comprehensive correct knowledge about AIDS among young people age 15-24 (2 ways to prevent AIDS and reject 3 misconceptions) |
| 5 |
Voluntary counseling and testing |
| 5.1 |
Population requesting an HIV test, receiving a test and receiving test results |
| 5.1.1 |
Population receiving an HIV test |
| 5.1.2 |
Population receiving a test and receiving test results in the last 12 months. |
| 5.2 |
Districts with VCT services |
| 5.3 |
Quality post HIV test counselling |
| 5.4 |
VCT centres with minimum conditions to provide quality services |
| 5.5 |
VCT laboratories that follow quality testing protocols |
| 5.6 |
HIV testing behaviour among young people, sexually active in the last 12 months |
| 6 |
Mother to child transmission |
| 6.1 |
Pregnant women counselled and tested for HIV |
| 6.1.1 |
Pregnant women counselled for HIV during ANC visit |
| 6.1.2 |
Pregnant women tested for HIV during ANC visit |
| 6.2 |
Antenatal clinics offering or referring for VCT |
| 6.3 |
Quality HIV counselling for pregnant women |
| 6.4 |
HIV-positive women provided with anti-retroviral therapy in pregnancy |
| 7 |
Sexual negotiation and attitudes |
| 7.1 |
Women's ability to negotiate safer sex with husband |
| 7.2 |
Property dispossession |
| 8 |
Sexual behavior |
| 8.1 |
Higher risk sex in the last year |
| 8.1.1 |
Multiple partners in the last year among sexually active respondents aged 15-49. |
| 8.1.2 |
Higher-risk Sex ( with multiple partners among all respondents) |
| 8.2 |
Condom use at last higher risk sex (with a non-marital, non-cohabiting partner) |
| 8.2.1 |
Condom use at last sex with a spouse or cohabiting partner |
| 8.2.2 |
Condom use at last sex with anyone |
| 8.2.3 |
Condom use during higher-risk sex ( with multiple partners) |
| 8.3 |
Commercial sex in last year |
| 8.4 |
Condom use at last commercial sex, reported by client |
| 8.5 |
Condom use at last commercial sex, reported by sex worker |
| 8.6 |
Higher risk male-male sex in last year |
| 8.7 |
Condom use at last anal sex between men |
| 8.7.1 |
Men Who Have Sex with Men: Condom Use |
| 9 |
Young people's sexual behavior |
| 9.1 |
Median age at first sex among young men and women |
| 9.1.1 |
Abstinence of never-married young men and women. |
| 9.1.2 |
Sex before the age of 15 |
| 9.1.3 |
Sex before the age of 18. |
| 9.1.4 |
Primary Abstinence |
| 9.1.5 |
Secondary Abstinence |
| 9.2 |
Young people having premarital sex in last year |
| 9.3 |
Young people using a condom during premarital sex |
| 9.4 |
Young people having multiple partners in last year |
| 9.5 |
Young people using a condom at last higher risk sex |
| 9.5.1 |
Young people using a condom at last higher risk sex of all young people surveyed |
| 9.6 |
Condom use at first sex |
| 9.7 |
Age-mixing in sexual relationships (young women age 15-19, non-marital, non-cohabiting partner in the last 12 months) |
| 9.7.1 |
Age-mixing in sexual partnerships (young women age 15-24, any partner in the last 12 months) |
| 9.8 |
Forced sex among young people |
| 9.9 |
Sex among young people while they are intoxicated |
| 9.10 |
Sex with commercial sex workers among young people. |
| 10 |
Injecting drug use |
| 10.1 |
Injecting drug users sharing equipment at last injection |
| 10.2 |
Injecting drug users never sharing equipment in the last month |
| 10.3 |
Drug injectors using condom at last sex |
| 10.3.1 |
Drug injectors using condom at last sex with a commercial sex worker |
| 10.3.2 |
Drug injectors using condom at last sex with a non-regular partner |
| 10.3.3 |
Drug injectors using condom at last sex with a regular partner |
| 11 |
Blood safety / nosocomial transmission |
| 11.1 |
Screening of blood units for transfusion |
| 11.2 |
Reduction of blood transfusions |
| 11.3 |
Districts/regions with donor recruitment and blood transfusion services |
| 11.4 |
Health care settings with guidelines and practices for prevention of accidental HIV transmission |
| 11.5 |
Average number of medical injections per person per year |
| 11.6 |
Proportion of women and men reporting that the last health care injection was given with a syringe and needle set from a new, unopened package |
| 12 |
STI care and prevention |
| 12.1 |
Appropriate diagnosis and treatment of STIs |
| 12.2 |
Advice to STI patients on prevention and referral to HIV testing services |
| 12.3 |
Drug supply at STI care services |
| 12.4 |
Men and women seeking treatment for STIs |
| 13 |
Care and support |
| 13.1 |
Medical personnel trained in care of HIV-related conditions |
| 13.2 |
Health facilities with the capacity to deliver appropriate care to HIV-infected patients |
| 13.3 |
Health facilities with drugs for opportunistic infections and palliative care in stock |
| 13.4 |
Households receiving help in caring for chronically ill adults |
| 13.4.1 |
External support for chronically ill persons |
| 13.4.2 |
External support for chronically ill persons, any support |
| 13.5 |
External Support for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children: at least one of the services |
| 13.5.1 |
External support for households with OVCs: all services |
| 14 |
Social impact |
| 14.1 |
Birth registration |
| 14.2 |
Percentage of children under 18 who are vulnerable |
| 14.2.1 |
Percentage of children under 18 who are vulnerable-chronically ill parents |
| 14.2.2 |
Percentage of children under 18 who are vulnerable-adult in the household was sick for 3 of the 12 months prior to the death |
| 14.2.3 |
Percentage of children under 18 who are vulnerable-chronically ill adults in the household |
| 14.3 |
Prevalence of orphanhood under 18 who are orphans-- mother, father or both dead |
| 14.4 |
Prevalence of orphanhood among children under 15- mother, father or both dead |
| 14.4.1 |
Prevalence of orphanhood among children under 15- mother and father both dead |
| 14.4.2 |
Prevalence of orphanhood among children under 15- mother dead (or both dead) |
| 14.4.3 |
Prevalence of orphanhood among children under 15- mother dead, father alive |
| 14.4.4 |
Prevalence of orphanhood among children under 15- father dead (or both dead) |
| 14.4.5 |
Prevalence of orphanhood among children under 15- father dead, mother alive |
| 14.5 |
Ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school - mother, father or both dead |
| 14.5.1 |
Ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school - mother and father both dead |
| 14.5.2 |
Ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school - mother dead (or both dead) |
| 14.5.3 |
Ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school - mother dead, father alive |
| 14.5.4 |
Ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school - father dead (or both dead) |
| 14.5.5 |
Ratio of orphans to non-orphans who are in school - father dead, mother alive |
| 14.5.6 |
Current school attendance rate of orphans aged 10-14 |
| 14.5.7 |
Current school attendance rate of children aged 10–14 both of whose parents are alive and who live with at least one parent |
| 14.6 |
Malnutrition/underweight prevalence |
| 14.7 |
Basic material needs |
| 14.9 |
Sex before the age of 15 ( proportion of OVCs to non-OVC) |
| 14.10 |
Succession planning |
| 14.11 |
Orphans living with siblings |
| 15 |
HIV prevalence |
| 15.1 |
HIV prevalence among young people aged 15-24 |
| 15.2 |
HIV prevalence among general population |
| 15.3 |
HIV prevalence among pregnant women |
| 15.4 |
Syphilis prevalence among pregnant women |
| 15.5 |
HIV prevalence in sub-populations with high-risk behaviour |
USAID |
UNAIDS |
UNICEF |
WHO |
CDC |
US Census Bureau
