England leads Europe in sexually transmitted infection rates, according to recent data – outpacing 30 other countries in chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis diagnoses.
Data released today by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) reveals that STI cases throughout the continent have hit unprecedented levels over the past ten years.
The statistics expose STI prevalence across the 27 European Union countries – along with Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway – revealing gonorrhoea diagnoses climbed to 106,331 in 2024, marking the highest figure since monitoring commenced in 2009.
Syphilis infections more than doubled during that period to 45,577, while chlamydia continued as the most frequently reported STI throughout these nations, with 213,443 documented cases.
Alarmingly, congenital syphilis cases also increased, where the infection transfers from mother to infant during pregnancy or delivery, with specialists cautioning about potentially fatal complications.
Each of these documented STIs primarily spreads through unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse, and may result in severe health issues when untreated. Nevertheless, they are preventable through barrier methods like condoms.
Though England wasn’t part of the recent analysis, comparisons with official statistics from the identical timeframe indicate it would rank significantly as Europe’s most affected country for total syphilis, gonorrhoea, and chlamydia infections.
The Daily Mail’s interactive visualization displays STI diagnosis numbers throughout Europe, shown in the latest data, together with England’s 2024 figures.
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The visualization demonstrates that whereas Spain documented 41,798 chlamydia infections in 2024, England registered 168,889 diagnoses.
Despite England’s population exceeding Spain’s by roughly 10 million, per-capita analysis from 2024 indicates England would nonetheless have documented a substantially elevated rate – approximately 288 infections per 100,000 individuals versus merely 86 per 100,000 in Spain.
Nevertheless, the country with the highest per-capita chlamydia rate was Denmark, with a remarkable 502.3 infections per 100,000 residents.
England’s chlamydia diagnoses additionally exceeded other UK regions, with Scotland documenting 11,725 diagnoses in 2024.
Regarding gonorrhoea, Spain led European statistics with 37,169 infections, followed by the Netherlands with 13,952 and France’s 13,533.
By contrast, England nearly doubled Spain’s gonorrhoea total, documenting 71,802 infections of the STI, which may trigger serious complications including infertility in women, testicular or prostate infections in men, or ocular infections.
The statistics are equally concerning for Ireland, which had the highest per-capita gonorrhoea rate, with 109 infections identified per 100,000 individuals.
Additionally, Scotland documented 4,534 gonorrhoea infections in 2024, and Wales recorded 3,204.
Bruno Ciancio, Head of Department at the ECDC, stated: ‘Sexually transmitted infections have been increasing for 10 years and achieved record high numbers in 2024.
‘When left untreated, these infections may trigger severe complications, including chronic pain and infertility and, regarding syphilis, cardiovascular or neurological problems.’
The recent data shows that England also surpassed Spain in syphilis infections during 2024.
Official statistics reveal 13,030 syphilis infections documented in England, compared with 11,556 in Spain, 9,509 in Germany, and 3,420 in Belgium.
Malta demonstrated the highest per-capita prevalence, however, documenting 60.3 syphilis infections per 100,000 individuals.
Sexually transmitted infections can be prevented by using protection such as condoms
Mr Ciancio noted a ‘near doubling’ of congenital syphilis infections, which he characterized as ‘most distressing’ since it may lead ‘to potentially lifelong complications’.
Though preventable through early screening and treatment during pregnancy, untreated congenital syphilis infections may cause miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery, severe congenital defects, or neonatal death.
In certain instances, infants may display no symptoms at delivery, only for complications to emerge weeks, months, or even years subsequently.
Additionally, the recent data disclosed an increase in lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) – an uncommon STI caused by a chlamydia bacterial strain.
Predominantly diagnosed among gay men, LGV may cause enlarged lymph nodes, rectal discomfort, ulcers, or lesions around the genitals or anus.
LGV infections have increased dramatically over the past decade, with Spain recording 2,026 diagnoses in 2024 – comprising nearly 60 percent of all documented cases.
This represents the sole STI in the recent data where England would not have led the rankings if included, with 1,252 infections identified.
Mr Ciancio emphasizes ‘protecting your sexual health remains straightforward’ as he encouraged individuals to use condoms with new partners, and to seek testing if experiencing symptoms ‘such as pain, discharge, or an ulcer’.
Although these statistics suggest Spain has among the highest STI totals throughout the 30 countries, the data contains some significant omissions.
For instance, statistics from Belgium, France, and the Netherlands utilized sentinel surveillance systems – an approach which doesn’t monitor every instance of particular diseases, indicating their totals may not reflect the actual number of infections.
Multiple countries additionally failed to submit comprehensive data for all infections, with Germany a significant omission for three of the four STIs – only providing data for syphilis infections.
Nevertheless, specialists indicate England’s STI burden warrants concern. In previously released government guidance, transmission of gonorrhoea, chlamydia, and syphilis – along with genital herpes and genital warts – was characterized as a ‘major public health concern’.
England allocates approximately £9.58 annually per individual on sexual health services – totaling over £560 million.
Last August, the NHS announced they would be implementing a ‘world-first gonorrhoea vaccine programme’ which they indicate will protect thousands of Britons and save the NHS over £7.9million over the next decade.
