Australia HIV & AIDS Statistics

At the end of 2009 an estimated 20,171 people were living with an HIV diagnosis in Australia.

From the start of the epidemic until the end of 2009, there have been 29,395 diagnoses of HIV and 10,446 diagnoses of AIDS. Australia has recorded 6,776 AIDS deaths.

back to top 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
 24
 329
1999 643
 73
 718
 193
 23
 216
2000 677
 86
 763
 241
 25
 265
2001 677 96 775 189 23 213
2002 759 89 853 224 20 246
2003 785 86 874 227 17 245
2004 784
 125
 911
 178
 22
 202
2005 868 93 962 206 28 234
2006 859
 146
 1,008
 198
 21
 222
2007 910 137 1,048 144 16 161
2008 864
 137
 1,001
 95
 9
 104
2009 909 139 1,050 77 3 90
Total 26,773
 2,301
 29,395
 9,842
 568
 10,446***

* HIV data are adjusted for multiple reporting.

** 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.

***AIDS diagnoses in New South Wales in 2008 are not included. Includes 36 people whose sex was reported as transgender.

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 1,050 in 2009 (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.

back to top Exposure categories

HIV transmission in Australia occurs primarily through sexual contact between men. Around 65% of people newly diagnosed with HIV in 2009 were among men who have sex with men; 28.7% were exposed through heterosexual contact; 2.3% were due to injecting drug use; and a further 3% were men with a history of both injecting drug use and sex with other men.

back to top HIV and AIDS cases by state/territory, cumulative until end September 2009

State/Territory HIV* AIDS*
Male Female Total Male Female Total
Australian Capital Territory 283 36 319 95 10 105
New South Wales 14,398 999 15,657 5,513 265 5,796
Northern Territory 155 30
 185 48 6
 54
Queensland 3,211 354 3,574 1,094 76 1,172
South Australia 1,056 120 1,177 422 32 455
Tasmania 127 15 142 55 4 59
Victoria 5,944 459 6,447 2,145 124
 2,282
Western Australia 1,385 256 1,648 457 47 506
Total 26,559 2,269 29,149 9,829 564 10,429

* 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.

Relative to population size, New South Wales has had by far the highest rate of HIV diagnoses. Victoria has had the second highest rate, followed by Capital Territory, Northern Territory and Queensland.

back to top 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 significant differences in transmission routes.

Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people diagnosed with HIV between 2005 and 2009, sex between men was the reported source of exposure to HIV in 46% of the population (compared to 71% in the non-Indigenous population). Heterosexual contact was the reported transmission route for 21% of cases in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population (compared to 15% in the non-Indigenous population). The number of cases attributable to injecting drug use was higher among the Indigenous population (20%) than the non-Indigenous (3%). Women accounted for 26% of total HIV infections among the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

People born in Australia accounted for 58% of HIV diagnoses in the period 2004-2008.

back to top AIDS cases and deaths following AIDS, by sex and age, cumulative until end September 2009

Age Cases Deaths
Male Female Total* Male Female Total*
0-12 32 22 54 23 12 35
13-19 28 6 34 15 3 18
20-29 1,465 127 1,607 695 50 756
30-39 3,983 207 4,202 2,489 110 2,608
40-49 2,855 110 2,970 2,081 61 2,144
50-59 1,074
 51
 1,129 829 34 864
60+ 392 41 433 313 37 350
Total 9,829 564 10,429 6,445 307 6,775

* 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.