Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) constitute a considerable health and resource burden in the hospital environment and in the community. The evidence available currently suggests a high frequency of MRSA throughout the Western Pacific region. In this region, the proportion of all S. aureus clinical isolates that were MRSA was 29% to 70%. Among nosocomial infections, MRSA represented 8% to 80% of all clinical infections by S. aureus, and in infections among intensive care units, MRSA represented 41% to 100%. In Korea and Taiwan, MRSA was most common, representing 50% to 70% of all S. aureus isolates in Korea and 53% to 83% of all S. aureus clinical isolates in Taiwan. Other countries reported a relatively lower incidence of MRSA (as a proportion of S. aureus isolates), 31% in the Philippines in in 2005, 31% in India, 42% in Pakistan, and 38% in Malaysia. For HAP (including VAP), the overall range of MRSA incidence was 1% to 78%. For early-onset HAP, the range was 6% to 30%, and, for late-onset HAP, 12% to 60%. For VAP cases, the incidence of 14.2% to 80% overall was reported. Among MRSA isolates, <5% exhibited reduced susceptibility to vancomycin (vancomycin-intermediate or vancomycin-resistant, VISA or VRSA), few strains were not susceptible to daptomycin, and none exhibited resistance to linezolid. The rate of MRSA in the community in this region was variable, ranging from 7% (China) to 40% (Taiwan). Some endemic and pandemic clones of MRSA were widely distributed in the hospitals and the community throughout this region.