Europe has recorded a sharp surge in sexually transmitted infections, according to European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control data reported by The Economist magazine. STI rates declined during the COVID-19 pandemic but increased sharply after 2021.
The report notes that the higher rates are not merely the result of increased testing. In 2024, health authorities in Europe registered about 100,000 cases of gonorrhea, three times more than in 2015. Syphilis cases more than doubled to 46,000 cases, whereas chlamydia fell back to 2015 levels following a peak in 2022.
Factors behind infection growth
Some experts link the rise in sexually transmitted diseases to the spread of dating applications. However, Dutch doctor Henry de Vries noted that online dating platforms existed long before the increase in cases. He suggested that the surge may instead be connected to a decline in condom usage.
Another hypothesis cited in the publication indicates that HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis leads more men, particularly gay men, to refrain from using condoms. Findings from a British sexual health clinic study support that view. Separately, coloproctologist Alina Amaro previously identified contraindications to anal sex, noting that the practice carries a risk of STI transmission.
