Cases of bacterial sexually transmitted infections across Europe have climbed to record levels after rising steadily for a decade, according to new figures released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
The agency said infections such as gonorrhoea and syphilis reached their highest levels since European surveillance began, raising concerns among health officials about the growing impact on reproductive and long-term health.
“Sexually transmitted infections have been on the rise for 10 years and reached record high levels in 2024,” said Bruno Ciancio, head of the ECDC unit for directly transmitted and vaccine-preventable diseases.
The report found that gonorrhoea cases rose to 106,331 in 2024, marking a 303 percent increase since 2015. Syphilis infections more than doubled over the same period, reaching 45,577 cases. Chlamydia remained the most commonly reported infection, with 213,443 recorded cases.
Health officials warned that untreated infections can lead to serious complications, including infertility, chronic pain and neurological or cardiovascular problems linked to advanced syphilis.
The steepest increase was recorded in gonorrhoea cases. The ECDC said the 2024 notification rate was the highest since monitoring began in 2009.
Gonorrhoea, caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae, often shows no symptoms, particularly among women, making diagnosis and treatment more difficult and allowing transmission to continue unnoticed.
Between 2023 and 2024, gonorrhoea rates rose by 7.9 percent among men, with the highest levels seen in those aged 25 to 34. More than half of reported cases involved men who have sex with men.
Among women, reported gonorrhoea cases fell by 8.6 percent overall, although the highest rates remained among women aged between 20 and 24.
The ECDC said high infection rates among women of reproductive age remained concerning because of the risk of complications affecting fertility and reproductive health.
Ireland, Malta, Iceland, Luxembourg, Denmark and Spain recorded the highest gonorrhoea rates in 2024.
The report also highlighted a sharp increase in congenital syphilis, a condition in which the infection passes from a pregnant woman to her unborn child. Cases nearly doubled from 2023 levels and reached the highest point recorded since 2009.
Between 2015 and 2024, Bulgaria reported the highest number of congenital syphilis cases, followed by Portugal and Hungary.
The ECDC said congenital syphilis is preventable and noted that the World Health Organization European region has set a target of reducing cases to fewer than one per 100,000 live births by 2030.
Experts pointed to changing sexual behaviour as a major factor behind the increase in infections. Josep Mallolas, head of the HIV/AIDS unit at Hospital Clínic Barcelona, said condom use had declined while the number of sexual partners had increased, particularly among younger age groups.
The ECDC added that expanded screening programmes, improved testing access and better reporting systems may also partly explain the rise in detected cases. Officials called for broader prevention campaigns, increased testing and stronger monitoring efforts across Europe.
