Nelson Mandela’s prison number was 46664, a number later used in a global HIV/AIDS awareness campaign.
Mandela received the number 46664 at Robben Island, where he was prisoner number 466 of 1964. The number reflected the prisoner's sequence and the year he began serving his life sentence after the Rivonia Trial. It became closely associated with his decades of imprisonment and the anti-apartheid struggle.
After Mandela left office, the Nelson Mandela Foundation and partners adopted 46664 for a series of concerts and campaigns launched in 2003. The initiative focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and reducing stigma, particularly in Africa. The number was not Mandela’s only prison identifier, but it became the one most widely recognized internationally.
A common mix-up is treating 46664 as a date or a code created for the campaign. It was originally a prison number; the campaign repurposed it because of its powerful connection to Mandela’s story.