The number of new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections declined by about 6 percent last year from the previous year, according to a report.

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Wednesday that it has published the “Yearbook of HIV/AIDS Reporting Status in 2023,” analyzing the status of HIV infections reported through the Integrated Healthcare Information System last year.

According to the report, the number of newly reported HIV/AIDS cases in 2023 was 1,005, a decrease of 5.7 percent from 1,066 in the previous year.

By nationality, 749 (74.5 percent) were Korean nationals and 256 (25.5 percent) were foreigners, with foreigners accounting for an increasing share of new HIV infections.

By gender, 903 (89.9 percent) were men and 102 (10.1 percent) were women.

By age, 356 (35.4 percent) were in their 30s, followed by 288 (28.7 percent) in their 20s and 158 (15.7 percent) in their 40s, with young people in their 20s and 30s accounting for 64.1 percent of the total new HIV infections.

Hospitals and clinics reported 637 (63.4 percent) new HIV infections, health centers reported 284 cases (28.3 percent), and other institutions, including correctional facilities and the Military Manpower Administration, reported 84 (8.4 percent).

Sexual contact accounted for 99.6 percent of the total new infections, with 564 respondents, of which 306 (54.3 percent) reported same-sex sexual contact.

As of 2023, 16,467 people were living with HIV in Korea, an increase of 591 (3.7 percent) from 15,876 in the previous year. Among them, 3,194 (19.4 percent) were aged 60 and over, with their share increasing every year.

"To strengthen HIV/AIDS prevention and control, we established the Second Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Prevention and Control Plan in March 2024, and will promote various policies to prevent new infections, early detection of infected people, and early treatment to accelerate the goal of ending AIDS by 2030," KDCA Commissioner Jee Young-mee said.