One of the most common types of sexually transmitted disease (STD) is transferred via unprotected vaginal, oral, or anal intercourse.
In addition, STDs may transfer from mother to child, nursing or delivery, between drug users who share needles; or from donor to receiver through contaminated blood donations.
STDs, or sexually transmitted illnesses, are sometimes referred to as STIs because they have little or no symptoms, making them difficult to diagnose and cure. Although all STDs may be treated, most cannot be cured totally.
As a result, health organizations often promote prevention, particularly through protection during sexual activity and routine STD testing. Prevention may be accomplished in a variety of ways.

Certain STDs may be quite dangerous, especially for women. Symptom intensity varies from STD to STD.
STDs may cause neurological illness, cardiovascular disease, infertility, stillbirth, ectopic pregnancies, liver cancer, cervical cancer, and (in the case of sexually transmitted HIV) AIDS, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Drug use, poverty, the stigma associated with STDs, and non-monogamous sexual behavior all contribute to the rise in STD prevalence. On the other hand, STDs are reduced through awareness campaigns, condom usage, and access to sexual health education.
Highest HIV prevalence countries in the world, according to the CIA (CIA 2020):
- Eswatini — 26.8%
- Lesotho — 21.1%
- Botswana — 19.9%
- South Africa — 19.1%
- Zimbabwe — 11.9%
- Namibia — 11.6%
- Mozambique — 11.5%
- Zambia — 11.1%
- Malawi — 8.1%
- Equatorial Guinea — 7.3%
Global STD rates
The prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) varies greatly depending on the illness and the nation but has been rising in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, more than a million new STD infections may be cured each day.
A lack of health care and STD testing in impoverished nations may make it difficult to accurately measure STD rates, which can also contribute to high STD infection rates.
STI testing is significantly more widespread in industrialized nations, and infection rates are substantially lower due to their more extensive health care systems. For example, approximately 27% of individuals in Eswatini are infected with HIV/AIDS, but only.10% of people in Norway are infected.
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most prevalent STD in the world, with more than 600 million cases globally and 20 million cases in the United States, according to the CDC and WHO.
Most people who engage in sexual activity are exposed to HPV at some time. It is possible to develop genital warts and cervical cancer problems from HPV.
STDs are popular in the United States, Australia, and Singapore.
STD rates are among the highest in the industrialized world in the United States. One hundred twenty-three cases per 100,000 persons in the United States were diagnosed with gonorrhea in 2015.
That number has risen by about a third to 188.4 cases per 100,000 people by 2019. With 475 per 100,000 persons in 2015, the United States has the third-highest chlamydia prevalence in industrialized countries, rising to 552.8 per 100,000 in 2019.

STD rates are rising in the US for various reasons, including a decline in condom usage among susceptible populations, including young people and males who engage in sexual relations with other men.
Consequently, state and municipal organizations have had to close clinics, restrict screenings, and minimize patient follow-up due to financial shortages.
States in the United States have vastly different rates of STDs. Regarding gonorrhea, Alaska, Mississippi, and Alabama had the highest chlamydia rates in 2019, as did Nevada, New Mexico, and Mississippi for primary and secondary syphilis, and Alaska, Mississippi, and Alabama had the highest chlamydia rates in 2019.
A drop in STI rates across the country is expected to be seen in 2020. Still, health experts have expressed concern that this reduction will not be due to a decrease in STIs but rather a decrease in the number of STIs reported because so many clinics were forced to close during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The number of people infected with an STD has increased dramatically in Australia during the last two decades.
Experts blame the surgeon for more testing, the growth in popularity of online dating, the large number of tourists, and a lack of condom use, despite individuals being taught about their efficacy.
Also See: Smoking Rates by Country 2022
Singapore’s syphilis rate per 100,000 individuals is 30.39, making it the country with the highest overall STD prevalence rate. It is possible that Singapore’s high ranking is due to a lack of public education regarding STDs and STD prevention.
Results of STD testing must be reported. Only a few nations in the world have this kind of legislation.
Country | HIV (CIA 2020 est) | 2022 Population |
---|---|---|
Eswatini | 26.8000 | 1184.8170 |
Lesotho | 21.1000 | 2175.6990 |
Botswana | 19.9000 | 2441.1620 |
South Africa | 19.1000 | 60756.1350 |
Zimbabwe | 11.9000 | 15331.4280 |
Mozambique | 11.5000 | 33089.4610 |
Zambia | 11.1000 | 19470.2340 |
Malawi | 8.1000 | 20180.8390 |
Equatorial Guinea | 7.3000 | 1496.6620 |
Uganda | 5.4000 | 48432.8630 |
Tanzania | 4.7000 | 63298.5500 |
Kenya | 4.2000 | 56215.2210 |
Republic of the Congo | 3.3000 | 5797.8050 |
Cameroon | 3 | 27911.5480 |
Gabon | 3 | 2331.5330 |
Guinea-Bissau | 3 | 2063.3670 |
Central African Republic | 2.9000 | 5016.6780 |
Rwanda | 2.5000 | 13600.4640 |
South Sudan | 2.3000 | 11618.5110 |
Ivory Coast | 2.1000 | 27742.2980 |
Togo | 2 | 8680.8370 |
Haiti | 1.9000 | 11680.2830 |
Angola | 1.8000 | 35027.3430 |
Gambia | 1.8000 | 2558.4820 |
Ghana | 1.7000 | 32395.4500 |
Mauritius | 1.7000 | 1274.7270 |
Namibia | 1.6000 | 2633.8740 |
Sierra Leone | 1.5000 | 8306.4360 |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 1.5000 | 111.5510 |
Guinea | 1.4000 | 13865.6910 |
Jamaica | 1.4000 | 2985.0940 |
Nigeria | 1.3000 | 216746.9340 |
Guyana | 1.3000 | 794.0450 |
Russia | 1.2000 | 145805.9470 |
Belize | 1.2000 | 412.1900 |
Bahamas | 1.2000 | 400.5160 |
Chad | 1.1000 | 17413.5800 |
Liberia | 1.1000 | 5305.1170 |
Suriname | 1.1000 | 596.8310 |
Barbados | 1.1000 | 288.0230 |
Antigua and Barbuda | 1.1000 | 99.5090 |
Thailand | 1 | 70078.2030 |
Ukraine | 1 | 43192.1220 |
Burundi | 1 | 12624.8400 |
Panama | 1 | 4446.9640 |
Ethiopia | 0.9000 | 120812.6980 |
Mali | 0.9000 | 21473.7640 |
Benin | 0.9000 | 12784.7260 |
Dominican Republic | 0.9000 | 11056.3700 |
Papua New Guinea | 0.9000 | 9292.1690 |
Moldova | 0.8000 | 4013.1710 |
Estonia | 0.8000 | 1321.9100 |
Djibouti | 0.8000 | 1016.0970 |
DR Congo | 0.7000 | 95240.7920 |
Burkina Faso | 0.7000 | 22102.8380 |
Trinidad and Tobago | 0.7000 | 1406.5850 |
Brazil | 0.6000 | 215353.5930 |
Chile | 0.6000 | 19250.1950 |
Saint Lucia | 0.6000 | 185.1130 |
Dominica | 0.6000 | 72.3440 |
Venezuela | 0.5000 | 29266.9910 |
Cambodia | 0.5000 | 17168.6390 |
Portugal | 0.5000 | 10140.5700 |
Belarus | 0.5000 | 9432.8000 |
El Salvador | 0.5000 | 6550.3890 |
Eritrea | 0.5000 | 3662.2440 |
Grenada | 0.5000 | 113.4750 |
Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.5000 | 53.8710 |
Indonesia | 0.4000 | 279134.5050 |
Mexico | 0.4000 | 131562.7720 |
Colombia | 0.4000 | 51512.7620 |
Spain | 0.4000 | 46719.1420 |
Argentina | 0.4000 | 46010.2340 |
Malaysia | 0.4000 | 33181.0720 |
Cuba | 0.4000 | 11305.6520 |
Costa Rica | 0.4000 | 5182.3540 |
Uruguay | 0.4000 | 3496.0160 |
Vietnam | 0.3000 | 98953.5410 |
France | 0.3000 | 65584.5180 |
Peru | 0.3000 | 33684.2080 |
Madagascar | 0.3000 | 29178.0770 |
Kazakhstan | 0.3000 | 19205.0430 |
Ecuador | 0.3000 | 18113.3610 |
Senegal | 0.3000 | 17653.6710 |
Laos | 0.3000 | 7481.0230 |
Paraguay | 0.3000 | 7305.8430 |
Mauritania | 0.3000 | 4901.9810 |
Georgia | 0.3000 | 3968.7380 |
Latvia | 0.3000 | 1848.8370 |
Luxembourg | 0.3000 | 642.3710 |
Sao Tome and Principe | 0.3000 | 227.6790 |
India | 0.2000 | 1406631.7760 |
Pakistan | 0.2000 | 229488.9940 |
Philippines | 0.2000 | 112508.9940 |
Italy | 0.2000 | 60262.7700 |
Sudan | 0.2000 | 45992.0200 |
Uzbekistan | 0.2000 | 34382.0840 |
Niger | 0.2000 | 26083.6600 |
Guatemala | 0.2000 | 18584.0390 |
Netherlands | 0.2000 | 17211.4470 |
Bolivia | 0.2000 | 11992.6560 |
Greece | 0.2000 | 10316.6370 |
Honduras | 0.2000 | 10221.2470 |
Sweden | 0.2000 | 10218.9710 |
Tajikistan | 0.2000 | 9957.4640 |
Israel | 0.2000 | 8922.8920 |
Switzerland | 0.2000 | 8773.6370 |
Nicaragua | 0.2000 | 6779.1000 |
Kyrgyzstan | 0.2000 | 6728.2710 |
Singapore | 0.2000 | 5943.5460 |
Ireland | 0.2000 | 5020.1990 |
Armenia | 0.2000 | 2971.9660 |
Timor-Leste | 0.2000 | 1369.4290 |
Fiji | 0.2000 | 909.4660 |
Bhutan | 0.2000 | 787.9410 |
Germany | 0.1000 | 83883.5960 |
Nepal | 0.1000 | 30225.5820 |
Australia | 0.1000 | 26068.7920 |
Romania | 0.1000 | 19031.3350 |
Azerbaijan | 0.1000 | 10300.2050 |
United Arab Emirates | 0.1000 | 10081.7850 |
Austria | 0.1000 | 9066.7100 |
Libya | 0.1000 | 7040.7450 |
Denmark | 0.1000 | 5834.9500 |
Finland | 0.1000 | 5554.9600 |
Norway | 0.1000 | 5511.3700 |
Oman | 0.1000 | 5323.9930 |
Lithuania | 0.1000 | 2661.7080 |
Cyprus | 0.1000 | 1223.3870 |
Malta | 0.1000 | 444.0330 |
Iceland | 0.1000 | 345.3930 |