21%

Percentage drop in AIDS-related deaths worldwide since their peak in 2005. The number of new HIV infections also fell 21% since their peak in 1997, according to a new UNAIDS report [PDF]. In 2010, an estimated 1.8 million people died from AIDS, down from 2.2 million in 2005; in 2010, there were about 2.7 million new HIV infections, down from 3.2 million in 1997. UNAIDS says both declines can be attributed to increased access to treatment, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. The number of people now living with HIV has reached a record 34 million. [via BBC]