OBJECTIVE:

To analyze spatial association patterns in granting social security benefits to individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Brazil between 2004 and 2016.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

This ecological study used secondary data from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security. Spatial autocorrelation techniques, specifically Global and Local Moran's I indices, were employed for analysis.

RESULTS:

A total of 73,066 benefits were granted. In Brazil's North and Northeast, health macro-regions stood out for forming low-low clusters in overall benefits, by sex, and in urban areas. Conversely, Santa Catarina State exhibited high-high clusters for these same variables. High-high clusters for rural area benefits were observed exclusively in the North and Northeast regions. In the North, low-low clusters predominated when considering age at disease onset and work incapacity. Regarding the average time between disease onset and incapacity, a vast low-low cluster encompassed much of the North and Northeast, while an extensive high-high cluster formed in the South and Southeast.

CONCLUSION:

The findings highlight the social vulnerability faced by populations in Brazil's North and Northeast regarding AIDS, mainly due to informal labor markets and limited access to healthcare and social security services.