An estimated 75 000 people are currently living with HIV in Oceania in 2007. Over 70% of the total number of people living with HIV are in Papua New Guinea, where the epidemic is still expanding, although at slightly lower levels than previously believed. HIV infections have now been reported in every country or territory in Oceania, barring Niue and Tokelau.

Australia has the oldest epidemic in the region. Having declined by about 25% from 1995–2000, the annual number of new HIV diagnoses in Australia has been edging upward again and reached 820 in 2004. This brought the total to an estimated 14 800 the number of people living with HIV in the country in 2004.

New Zealand’s epidemic is small by comparison to Australia and other areas of the Pacific. However, new HIV cases have doubled in recent years—from fewer than 80 in 1999 to 157 in 2004. Sex between men accounted for about half the new diagnoses.

Similar to Australia, more than 90% of people with heterosexually-acquired HIV diagnosed in 2004 had been infected abroad.

In Australia and New Zealand, HIV continues to be transmitted mainly through unprotected sex between men.

HIV-infection levels are very low in the rest of Oceania, with the total number of reported HIV cases exceeding 150 only in New Caledonia (246), Guam (173), French Polynesia (220) and Fiji (171).