24 STD Statistics to Inspire You to Be Healthier and Wiser
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Despite the efforts to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, STD statistics reveal that more than one million STIs are acquired every day worldwide. Such data highlights the need for better information regarding STDs in order to see the bigger picture and understand the gravity of these infections. So let’s check the crucial stats on sexually transmitted diseases we’ve compiled to help you stay informed in 2022.
Key STD Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- Over 2.5 million cases of STD are reported in the US every year.
- There are 20 million confirmed cases of HPV in the US.
- Nearly 1.2 million people live with HIV in the US.
- Women are three times more likely to contract gonorrhea than men.
- Jackson, MS, has 4,281 STD cases per 100,000 population.
- Singapore has 30.39 syphilis cases per 100,000 people.
- Young adults aged 15–24 account for nearly 50% of the STD cases in the US.
- Every day one million new STD cases are reported in the world.
General Sexually Transmitted Diseases Statistics
About one in five people in the US acquire an STI every day. According to the latest data, the reported sexually transmitted disease cases in the country have reached a historic high.
1. 20% of the US population has an STI on any given day.
(CDC)
The percentage of people with STDs is relatively high. According to CDC data, one in five people in the US has a sexually transmitted infection on any given day every year. Chlamydia, genital herpes, trichomoniasis, and HPV account for 98% of newly acquired STDs. Additionally, estimates are that newly acquired STIs cost the healthcare system $16 billion.
2. Statistics on STD reveal there are over 2.5 million chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis cases reported in one year.
(CDC)
The reported STDs in the US have reached an all-time high for a sixth consecutive year. More specifically, there are 1.8 million chlamydia, 616,392 gonorrhea, and 129,813 syphilis cases. Additionally, there are 1,870 congenital syphilis cases, which has seen an increase of 279% since 2015.
3. The gonorrhea rate in the US is 124 per 100,000 people.
(World Population Review)
As gonorrhea statistics show, the US has the highest gonorrhea rate at 124 per 100,000 people in the developed world. Additionally, it has the third-highest rate for chlamydia of 479 per 100,000 people. These STD rates are rising due to many reasons, including decreased condom use among vulnerable groups, decreased care and screening, and reduced patient follow-up due to budget cuts of the state and local programs.
4. HPV is the most common STD type in the US, with more than 20 million confirmed cases.
(World Population Review)
STD statistics worldwide indicate that human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most widespread STD type globally. According to estimations, there are more than 600 million cases. The disease is also the most common STD type in the US, with 20 million cases.
5. An estimated 1.2 million people in the US have HIV.
(HIV.gov, Statista)
As per sexually transmitted diseases stats, around 1.2 million people in the US live with HIV. However, about 13% of them aren’t aware of it and don’t know they need testing. In addition, 34,800 newly diagnosed cases appeared in the US. It should be noted that HIV has the highest direct medical costs of nearly $14 billion — almost six times more than other STDs combined.
STDs Prevalence by Age, Gender, and Ethnicity
Syphilis is most widespread among young men, particularly gay and bisexual men. However, females are more prone to get gonorrhea than men.
6. Sexually transmitted diseases rates are 5–8 times higher for African Americans or Black people.
(CDC)
According to the CDC report, African American or Black people have 5–8 times higher rates of STD than non-Hispanic White people. Additionally, the rates are 3–5 times higher for Native Alaskans, American Indians, and Native Hawaiians, and 1–2 times higher for Hispanic or Latino people.
7. Among men, the US STD rates of reported gonorrhea infections increased by 60.6% in four years.
(CDC)
CDC reports that the prevalence of gonorrhea cases among men increased by 60.6% between 2015 and 2019 and 5.9% between 2018 and 2019 only. On the other hand, the rates have increased by 43.6% and 5.1% in the respective periods among women. The expanded rate is likely due to increased case ascertainment and transmission.
8. The STD percentage among gay and bisexual men with syphilis is nearly 50%.
(CDC)
The primary and secondary syphilis rates among men increased by 8% to 20 cases per 100,000 men. Men account for 83% of all instances of primary and secondary syphilis, and the rates for gay and bisexual men stand at 47% of all syphilis cases reported.
9. Females are three times more likely to get gonorrhea than men.
(STD Center)
STD transmission rates for gonorrhea after just one sexual encounter with an infected partner are 60–90% for women. In comparison, the male’s risk of being infected with the disease by a female is only 20%. Such a significant difference might be related to the larger exposed genital surface area and greater exposure to trauma and tissue damage in females.
10. With 57.6 cases per 100,000 people, syphilis is most common in 25–29-year-old men.
(Statista)
STD statistics by age show that syphilis is most prevalent among men in the 25–29 age group, with a rate of 57.6 per 100,000 population. Additionally, the rate of syphilis cases among men in the 30–34 age group is 51.2 per 100,000, whereas there are 45.2 cases per 100,000 people among men aged 20–24en.
Prevalence of STDs in the US Cities and States
The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases by city or state varies depending on the STD type. Read on to discover some surprising numbers.
11. Jackson, MS is top-ranked among the cities with the highest STD rates with 4,281 per 100,000 population.
(Innerbody)
With 4,281 per 100,000 population, Jackson has the highest rates of STD among the US cities. Baltimore is second-ranked with 3,707 per 100,000 people, followed by San Francisco with 3,150 per 100,000 and Philadelphia with 2,827 per 100,000. Washington, DC is fifth-ranked with 2,771 cases, followed by Augusta with 2,596 per 100,000 population.
12. Mississippi is the US country with the highest number of gonorrhea cases.
(CDC)
As per the STD statistics by state provided by CDC, Mississippi has 12,068 reported cases or 404.1 per 100,000 population. The rates of reported cases are also high in Alaska (300.1 per 100,000) and Alabama (296.5 per 100,000). South Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Missouri are also among the US states with the highest gonorrhea cases. On the flip side, Vermont is ranked the lowest with 175 reported cases.
13. With a syphilis rate of 26.6 cases per 100,000 population, Nevada has some of the highest STD rates by state.
(CDC)
With 808 reported cases in one year, Nevada has the highest number of syphilis cases, with 26.6 cases per 100,000 population. New Mexico and Mississippi follow with 24.4 and 23.1 per 100,000, respectively. Furthermore, California, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Alaska are also among the top-ranked states.
14. The gonorrhea rate in The Villages is 39 per 100,000 people.
(Top Retirements)
Even though The Villages has been dubbed the STD capital city, facts show it’s in no way a top place for sexually transmitted diseases in the US. In fact, The Villages STD rate is at the bottom in terms of cases per 100,000 population. In Sumter County, where 80% of The Villages population is, the infection rate is 39, whereas the rate in Leon County is 370. Similarly, the rate for chlamydia cases is 157, which is lower than Florida’s overall rate of 525.5 and Leon County’s 1,147.
15. Washington DC has the highest rate of STDs among populations 55 and older — 881.8 per 100,000.
(Forbes)
At 881.8 per 100,000, Washington DC has the highest STD rate in the US among populations older than 55. New York and Maryland also see rates as high as 236.2 and 172.7 per 100,000 populations, respectively. On the other hand, Montana, Wyoming, and North Dakota have the lowest cases of STDs among older people at 20, 17.8, and 14.9 per 100,000, respectively.
College and Teenage STD Rates
STDs are widespread among teenagers and college students. In fact, young people account for nearly half of all sexually transmitted infections in the US.
16. Young people aged 15–24 account for almost 50% of STD infections in the US.
(CDC)
Even though they account for only a quarter of sexually active people, STDs are most widespread among young people. More specifically, this age group accounts for 61% of chlamydia cases and 42% of gonorrhea cases.
17. 400,000 young people aged between 10 and 24 were newly infected with HIV in 2020.
(UNICEF)
About 150,000 of the newly diagnosed HIV cases were teenagers between the ages of 10 and 19. UNICEF stats on STD further reveal that only 25% of adolescent girls and 17% of boys aged 15–19 in Eastern and Southern Africa have taken HIV tests. The trend is even lower in West and Central Africa and South Asia. According to estimations, there will be 183,000 new HIV infections annually if this trend continues.
18. The rate of chlamydia cases among young females is 3,728.1 per 100,000 females.
(CDC)
When looking closer at STD statistics by gender, cases of reported chlamydia are highest among young adults and adolescents. About 61% of reported cases were among people aged 15–24. Among females in this age group, the total number of reported cases of chlamydia is 3,728.1 per 100,000 females, which is an increase of 10% from 2015.
19. Approximately 77% of female teenagers received the HPV vaccine.
(Statista, CDC)
Statistics for STD reveal that HPV causes nearly 36,000 cases of cancer in women and men every year. HPV vaccinations prevent 33,000 of these cases by warding off the infections that cause them. According to the latest stats, 77% of female teenagers have received at least one HPV vaccination dose, compared to 72% of males.
Global Statistics on STD
Worldwide, there’s a staggering number of STDs acquired every day. One in every 25 people gets infected with chlamydia, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and syphilis daily.
20. Globally, there are one million new cases of STD every day.
(CNN)
More than one million cases of STDs are reported every day. The four main infections reported are chlamydia, trichomoniasis, gonorrhea, and syphilis. On average, one in every 25 people globally is infected with one of these STIs. Furthermore, there are over 376 million new cases annually, including people with multiple STIs and those that become re-infected with one or more STIs within a year.
21. There are over 129 million new cases of chlamydia every year in the world.
(WHO)
The STD rates for chlamydia show there are over 129 million new cases worldwide. Moreover, nearly 500 million people live with genital herpes infection, and an estimated 300 million women have an HPV infection. In addition, chronic hepatitis B affects 296 million globally, whereas trichomoniasis makes for 156 million sexually transmitted diseases cases. Finally, STD facts point out that 82 million people are diagnosed with gonorrhea, and 7.1 million have syphilis.
22. Denmark has the highest number of chlamydia cases in Europe, with 614.52 per 100,000 population.
(Statista)
Denmark has the highest cases rate of chlamydia in Europe. Norway comes right after, with 533.87 per 100,000 people, followed by Iceland with 503.1 per 100,000. On the flip side, Romania has the lowest rate with only 0.07 confirmed cases of chlamydia per 100,000 people.
23. As STD stats show, Singapore has the highest rate of syphilis worldwide, with 30.39 cases per 100,000 people.
(World Population Review)
Following the US and Australia, Singapore is ranked third for the highest rates of STD in general. Additionally, its global rate for syphilis ranks the highest, with 30.39 cases per 100,000 people. Such a high rate might be because the government didn’t previously educate the population on STD prevention.
24. Statistics on STDs reveal that the UK recorded 70,936 cases of gonorrhea pre-pandemic.
(BBC)
Before the pandemic, gonorrhea cases have been at a record-high level in the UK in the past 100 years. The country counts 70,936 reported cases. The most significant proportional increase was noted in the 20–24 age group, with rates rising by 28% to 17,443 confirmed cases.
STD Statistics: The Takeaway
Hopefully, the data we’ve outlined above has shed light on the seriousness of sexually transmitted diseases and prompted you to act proactively to prevent them. Staying educated, using protection every time you engage in sexual activity, and getting tested regularly are crucial to ensuring you’re staying safe and preventing further transmission.
People Also Ask
What percentage of the population has an STD?
About 20% of the US population is infected with sexually transmitted diseases on any given day over the course of one year. That’s one in five people. The most widespread STIs are chlamydia, genital herpes, trichomoniasis, and HPV. These four STIs account for 98% of newly acquired infections. STIs burden the healthcare system, costing almost $16 billion a year.
What is the number one reported STD?
Chlamydia is the top reported STD in the US. According to CDC, there are 1,808,703 confirmed cases. The rate of reported cases is 553 per 100,000 people. Moreover, there are 616,392 reported gonorrhea cases, or 188 per 100,000 rates, whereas the syphilis rate amounts to 40 per 100,000 people or a total of 129,813 cases.
Why are STD rates rising?
There are many reasons why the number of STD cases is on the rise. One of them is the limited resources which make it challenging to identify and treat STDs. Additionally, the rising rates of drug use and poverty also influence the high sexually transmitted diseases rates. On top of that, fewer people are using condoms, and the STD prevention programs at the state and local levels have experienced budget cuts.
What are the odds of getting an STD?
Unfortunately, getting an STD is quite likely, especially for people who have sex without condoms. Even if you have only one sexual partner, you could be infected if that person had the disease. Additionally, you shouldn’t overlook that STDs are also transmitted through oral sex. The chances of getting infected from oral sex depend on the type and severity of the infection, its prevalence in the population, and the use of protection.
How many STDs does the average person get?
Some data suggests that one in two Americans will get at least one sexually transmitted infection in a lifetime, and the majority of them will contract it by age 25. That said, it’s possible to have two or more STDs at the same time, which would usually happen if you’ve had several sexual partners since your last STD test or you engage in sexual activity with someone who already has two STDs.
Are all STDs curable?
More than 30 bacteria, parasites, and viruses can be transmitted through sexual contact. Eight of them are linked to the most prevalent STDs. Four of these — syphilis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis — are curable. The other four — herpes simplex virus, HIV, hepatitis B, and HPV — are incurable. That said, if you leave curable STDs untreated, you will put yourself at risk for serious health outcomes, as illustrated in the STD statistics above.
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