Which EU Countries Have the Highest STI Rates?

Key Takeaways

• Ireland has the highest gonorrhea rate among 22 EU countries with data. It reached 109.0 cases per 100,000 people in 2024.
• Malta has the highest syphilis rate among 23 EU countries with data. Its syphilis rate is more than five times the EU/EEA syphilis rate.
• Men who have sex with men account for most gonorrhea and syphilis cases with a known mode of transmission. Heterosexual men and women account for 37% of gonorrhea cases and 30% of syphilis cases.
• Syphilis rates have also risen among heterosexual men and women since 2021. Congenital syphilis cases reached their highest total since 2009.
• Testing policies, free access to sexual health services, and laboratory test sensitivity differ across EU countries. Country rankings therefore need caution.

Gonorrhea and Syphilis Rates Across EU Countries

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Learn something new about Germany every week and make informed decisions with confidence.

Ireland, Malta, Luxembourg, and Denmark Have the Highest Gonorrhea Rates Among 22 EU Countries

Ireland recorded the highest gonorrhea rate among the 22 EU countries with data. It reached 109.0 confirmed cases per 100,000 people in 2024.

Malta, Luxembourg, and Denmark each recorded between 85 and 90 gonorrhea cases per 100,000 people. Spain ranks fifth among the 22 countries.

The gonorrhea rate across the EU and the European Economic Area (EU/EEA) reached 26.9 cases per 100,000 people in 2024. The 2024 rate is the highest since European surveillance of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) began in 2009.

Condomless sex and more sexual partners are linked to higher gonorrhea rates among both men who have sex with men and heterosexual men and women.

Men who have sex with men account for 62% of gonorrhea cases with a known mode of transmission. Heterosexual men and women account for 37%.

Ireland and Denmark were among the countries that reported rapid increases in gonorrhea among young heterosexual people from mid-2022. Women aged 20 to 24 were particularly affected.

Gonorrhea rates among younger women fell across the EU/EEA between 2023 and 2024.

Ireland’s gonorrhea rate fell from 125.2 in 2023 to 109.0 in 2024. Denmark’s rate fell from 94.0 to 85.4.

Malta Has the Highest Syphilis Rate Among 23 EU Countries

Malta recorded the highest syphilis rate among the 23 EU countries with data. It reached 60.3 cases per 100,000 people in 2024.

Malta’s syphilis rate is more than five times the EU/EEA syphilis rate of 10.8 cases per 100,000 people.

Four other EU countries recorded more than 17 syphilis cases per 100,000 people in 2024:

• Spain (23.8)
• Portugal (20.7)
• Hungary (18.0)
• Ireland (17.6)

Men who have sex with men account for 69% of syphilis cases with a known mode of transmission. Heterosexual men and women account for 30%.

Syphilis rates across the EU/EEA have more than doubled since 2015. Since 2021, rates have also risen among heterosexual men and women in all adult age groups.

In 11 of the 17 countries that report infection stage, most syphilis cases are in the primary or secondary stage. These are the early stages, when the infection is recent and can still be passed to others.

A high share of early-stage cases suggests the infection is still spreading from person to person. Earlier diagnosis through more testing may also play a part.

Congenital syphilis cases also rose in several EU/EEA countries alongside syphilis rates among women. Congenital syphilis is syphilis passed from a pregnant woman to her baby.

The EU/EEA recorded 140 confirmed congenital syphilis cases in 2024. The 2024 total is the highest since 2009.

In 13 of 29 EU/EEA countries, people still pay out of pocket for tests for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis. Having to pay for a test is a barrier to getting tested and treated.

Home self-sampling kits for gonorrhea are widely available in four EU/EEA countries: Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

Testing policies, access to free sexual health services, and laboratory test sensitivity differ across EU countries. Rankings between countries therefore need caution.

Some of the rise in rates over time may also reflect better surveillance coverage, more sensitive tests, and more testing. EU-level data cannot show how much comes from more testing and how much from more infections.