Syphilis - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2023
In 2023, 41 051 confirmed syphilis cases were reported in 29 EU/EEA Member States, with a crude notification rate of 9.9 cases per 100 000 population, representing a 13% increase in the crude notification rate compared to 2022, and a 100% increase compared to 2014.
Executive summary
• Reported syphilis rates were seven times higher in men than in women and highest in men aged 25–34 years (43 cases per 100 000 population).
• The majority (72%) of syphilis cases with information on transmission category were reported in men who have sex with men (MSM).
• In 2023, eleven countries reported more than half of the cases as primary and/or secondary syphilis, compared to ten countries in 2022.
• Overall, the trend in syphilis notifications increased between 2014 and 2023, mainly due to an increase in the number of cases among MSM. During the same period, there were very small fluctuations in syphilis notifications among heterosexuals at EU/EEA level. After a brief decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of syphilis notifications began increasing again in 2022 across all transmission groups. This increase continued in 2023.
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