Australia Statistics Summary

An estimated 16,692 people were living with HIV in Australia at the end of 2007.

From the start of the epidemic until the end of 2007, there have been 27,331 diagnoses of HIV and 10,303 diagnoses of AIDS. Australia has recorded 6,767 AIDS deaths.

AIDS incidence in Australia (0.9 per 100,000 population) is similar to that in the UK and Canada (1.4 and 0.8 respectively), and much lower that in the United States (12.8).

Estimated* HIV and AIDS diagnoses by year

Year HIV AIDS
Male Female Total** Male Female Total**
1987 and earlier 6,846 236 7,116 762 35 797
1988 1,221 73 1,297 520 15 536
1989 1,295 74 1,371 599 13 614
1990 1,283 85 1,276 655 17 674
1991 1,078 80 1,162 775 26 804
1992 1,051 88 1,140 752 37 791
1993 912 67 986 799 41 845
1994 839 85 926 904 45 953
1995 818 71 890 773 35 811
1996 811 74 887 637 33 670
1997 637 83 721 362 32 395
1998 550 94 645 305 23 329
1999 610 73 685 193 22 216
2000 572 82 658 240 24 264
2001 593 95 690 189 23 213
2002 731 90 825 224 20 246
2003 728 84 813 226 17 244
2004 724 126 851 176 22 200
2005 820 92 913 213 28 241
2006 810 145 958 226 20 249
2007 842 140 983 169 15 185
Total 22,302 2,025 24,391 9,722 543 10,303

* HIV data are adjusted for multiple reporting; AIDS figures for 2005-2007 are adjusted for reporting delays.

** Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding errors, people whose sex was reported as transgender, and diagnoses in more than one state or territory.

The annual number of HIV diagnoses in Australia peaked in 1987. There followed twelve years of decline, after which the rate of diagnoses grew again to reach 983 in 2007 (after adjusting for multiple reporting).

The annual number of AIDS diagnoses in Australia peaked in 1994 at 953 cases, and then declined rapidly to 216 in 1999. The fall since 1996 was largely due to the introduction of effective combination antiretroviral therapy, which delays progression from HIV infection to AIDS. The number of AIDS diagnoses has since remained relatively stable.

Exposure categories

Transmission in Australia continues to occur primarily through sexual contact between men. Around 64% of people newly diagnosed with HIV infection in the period 2003-2007 were men with a history of homosexual contact; 21% were probably exposed through heterosexual contact; 3% were injecting drug users; and a further 4% were men with a history of both injecting drug use and homosexual contact. In 8% of cases the route of HIV transmission was categorised as other or undetermined.

HIV and AIDS cases by state/territory, until end of 2007

State/Territory HIV* AIDS**
Male Female Total Male Female Total
Australian Capital Territory 242 32 274 92 10 102
New South Wales 12,469 928 13,397 5,548 262 5,810
Northern Territory 128 23 151 45 4 49
Queensland 2,816 298 3,114 1,064 73 1,137
South Australia 954 111 1,065 416 32 448
Tasmania 98 12 110 55 4 59
Victoria 5,273 400 5,803 2,068 116 2,184
Western Australia 1,240 221 1,466 434 42 476
Total 22,302 2,025 24,391 9,722 543 10,303

* Numbers may not sum to total due to rounding errors, people whose sex was reported as transgender, and diagnoses in more than one state or territory.

** Includes adjustments for reporting delays. Total AIDS cases include people reported as transgender.

Relative to population size, New South Wales has by far the highest rate of HIV diagnoses. In 2007, this stood at 6.2 per 100,000 people. Victoria's rate has the second highest rate at 5.5. Queensland had a rate of 4.6 per 100,000 with both South Australia and Western Australia having similar rates at 3.6 per 100,000. Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania have the lowest annual infection rates.

From 2003-2007, New South Wales also had the highest average annual AIDS incidence (1.6 per 100,000 population). The Northern Territory (1.2) and Victoria (1.1) had the next highest incidences. South Australia and Western Australia both had similar average AIDS incidences (0.5). The lowest rates were in Australian Capital Territory (0.4) and Tasmania (0.3).

Ethnicity and country of origin

Overall rates of HIV and AIDS diagnoses per capita have differed little between indigenous and non-indigenous people. However, there are differences in the relative importance of HIV transmission routes.

Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people diagnosed with HIV in 2003-2007, a higher proportion of infections were due to heterosexual contact (28% versus 19%% for non-indigenous cases), and injecting drug use (18% versus 3%). In addition a higher proportion were among women (25% versus 16%).

People born in Australia accounted for 63% of AIDS diagnoses and 56% of HIV diagnoses in the period 2003-2007, down from 68% and 61%, respectively, in the preceding five years. People born in Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest per capita rate of HIV and AIDS diagnoses.

AIDS cases and deaths following AIDS, by sex and age, until end of June 2007

Age Cases Deaths
Male Female Total* Male Female Total*
0-12 30 21 51 22 12 34
13-19 28 5 33 15 3 18
20-29 1,446 123 1,584 692 50 753
30-39 3,890 195 4,097 2,479 105 2,593
40-49 2,762 99 2,866 2,064 59 2,125
50-59 1,018
 45 1,067 814 33 848
60+ 360 39 399 301 37 338
Total 9,534 527 10,097 6,387 299 6,709

* Includes people whose sex was reported as transgender

In Australia, further evidence of the benefits of improved therapy has come from the substantial improvement in length of life following the diagnosis of AIDS. Median survival time has increased from 19 months for cases diagnosed prior to 1998 to 69 months for cases diagnosed in 2002.

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Sources:

  • National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. Australian HIV Surveillance Report, Vol 23, No 4, October 2007
  • National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and sexually transmissible infections in Australia Annual Surveillance Reports 1997-2008. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, Sydney, NSW; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra, ACT

Last updated June 25, 2009