The story of gold is the story of human progress.

Gold is more than just a timeless, beautiful store of value. It plays a critical and evolving role in technology and healthcare. Its individual applications are often hidden away, invisible to the human eye, but in each case gold is used because no other material can do the same job as reliably or efficiently.

One such area of application is the diagnostic and therapeutic uses of gold in the fight against life threatening disease. Nanoparticles of gold are used in the billions of lateral flow tests manufactured annually to detect illnesses including Covid-19, malaria and HIV. Cheap, quick and reliable, these tests save lives in regions where laboratory tests are logistically difficult or too expensive.

Beyond disease detection, gold-based drugs have been used as safe and effective therapeutics for rheumatoid arthritis and are currently under investigation as potential treatments for diseases like cancer and HIV.

Many of the countries most affected by HIV are locations where gold mining plays a key role in society. By the end of 2025, around 41 million people were living with HIV worldwide. In the same year about 570,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, while 32.1 million people were accessing HIV treatment.

The World Gold Council and its members, made up of large-scale responsible gold mining companies, develop, support and invest in a wide range of programs and causes to advance society. Funding from the global gold industry ensures that organisations like amfAR can continue to drive medical research forwards so that disease is identified and combatted faster.

Data source: www.unaids.org