The decline in new cases of HIV in NSW over the past 12 months suggests the state is on track to eliminate transmission by 2020.
NSW Health chief health officer Kerry Chant says the latest data shows a "rapid decline" in new diagnoses among gay and bisexual men.
"There were 101 new HIV diagnoses in gay and bisexual men in NSW in the first six months of this year - that number is the lowest recorded in NSW since HIV emerged in the 1980s," the chief health officer said in a statement on Wednesday.
The 2016/17 count was 25 per cent less than the average of the previous five financial years.
Dr Chant attributed the success to increased testing, improved treatment rates and better access to pre-exposure prevention drugs.
There were more than 286,000 HIV tests conducted in NSW in the first half of 2017, a 33 per cent increase over the same period in 2012.
The number of people diagnosed late with HIV remains stable, however there were still undiagnosed carriers within the community.
HIV diagnoses among people born overseas and heterosexuals also remained stable.
"We haven't seen a fall in new diagnoses in these groups and our response needs to be different and tailored to the unique circumstances," Dr Chant said.
