Gonorrhoea reached 37,467 cases (76.26 per 100,000) and syphilis 11,879 cases (24.18 per 100,000) in 2025, with syphilis slightly down on 2024.
Chlamydia reached 44,511 cases in 2025, up 3.9% from 42,820, with incidence at 90.60 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Ten confirmed cases were recorded in 2025, the same as in 2024, and both years are the highest since the series began in 2000.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) stopped climbing in Spain in 2025 after years of growth, according to the annual surveillance report from the Ministry of Health and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), published on 22 October 2026. Rates remain high, so the change is a slowdown rather than a reversal. Gonorrhoea held roughly flat at 37,467 cases, ten more than in 2024, while syphilis slipped to 11,879 cases and lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) fell to 1,824. Chlamydia moved the other way, rising 3.9% to 44,511 cases from 42,820.
Chlamydia is now the most frequently diagnosed STI in the country and the only one of the four analysed that rose in both case numbers and incidence, which climbed from 88.07 to 90.60 per 100,000 inhabitants. Young adults carry most of the burden: people aged 25 to 34 account for 36.8% of diagnoses, those aged 20 to 24 for 25.8%, and 15 to 19-year-olds for 9.8%. Women aged 20 to 24 show the highest rate in the whole report, 538.28 per 100,000. Men make up 53.7% of chlamydia diagnoses, with 23,891 notifications and an incidence of 99.17 against 82.33 for women.
Data from the article text
Gonorrhoea reached 76.26 per 100,000 inhabitants, slightly below the previous year, and men account for 84.3% of diagnoses. The ISCIII places the start of its stabilisation in 2023, after incidence had risen by an average of 36% a year. Syphilis fell to a rate of 24.18 from 24.61, with men accounting for 87.6% of cases, although technicians still see an upward trend dating from 2016. Ten confirmed congenital syphilis cases, the same as in 2024, were all diagnosed in the first months of life, seven in boys and three in girls, and both years mark the highest figure since the series began in 2000.
Chlamydia incidence varies widely by region. Catalonia recorded 195.90 per 100,000 inhabitants, followed by the Basque Country at 137.62, Navarre at 128.24 and the Canary Islands at 108.77, while Aragon was lowest at 8.50. The authors warn that differences between regional surveillance systems can affect comparisons. In Cantabria, chlamydia cases rose from 270 to 291 and syphilis jumped 56.1%, from 41 to 64, while gonorrhoea fell 4.2% to 206 and LGV dropped to four cases from seven. Incidence for all four infections in the region remains below the national figures.
Data from the article text
Victoria Hernando, a co-author of the report, describes the situation as "stabilised, but at high levels", and she points to better detection as part of the explanation. Greater detection is largely driven by PrEP programmes, which give at-risk people HIV prophylaxis and screen them every three months for other STIs. Prevention campaigns aimed at vulnerable groups, condom promotion, training for health staff and self-sampling kits may also have helped slow the rise. The only break in the long upward trend came in 2020, most likely because of covid lockdowns, and rates climbed again from 2021. Hernando explained the detection effect this way:
“In recent years, screening among PrEP users may have partly contributed to the increase we observe, as may greater awareness and better reporting of these cases.”
The authors recommend introducing LGV surveillance in every region, reinforcing individual case reporting and improving data on transmission routes.
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Spain recorded 44,511 chlamydia cases in 2025, up 3.9% on 2024, while gonorrhoea held steady and syphilis and lymphogranuloma venereum edged down. The annual report from the Health Ministry and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III was published on 22 October 2026.
AI text based on reports by europa press, RTVE.es, La Razón and other publishers. Published .