Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have been increasing since 2016. The latest annual data shows there was a 5 per cent annual increase to December 2019 in England, with 468,342 diagnoses (see panel).14 The population groups most affected are: 

• young heterosexuals 15 to 24 years
• black ethnic minorities
• gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). 

Chlamydia is the most common STI diagnosed each year, with almost 230,000 new cases in 2019. Gonorrhoea is the next most common, with 71,000 new cases, an increase of 26 per cent on 2018 and the largest annual increase since records began in 1918.14,15 
Anogenital warts account for 51,000 diagnoses, while there were around 34,500 anogenital herpes cases.  
Although there were only around 8,000 cases of syphilis (primary, secondary or early latent), this was a 10 per cent annual increase. New diagnoses have increased 200 per cent in the past decade to levels not seen since the Second World War.  
There were 4,139 new HIV diagnoses in 2019 (72.5 per cent male, 27.5 per cent female), continuing the decline since the 6,300 diagnoses peak in 2014.16 
Other categories include 28,000 cases of non-specific genital infection (NSGI), 10,000 cases of non-specific PID (ie not due to chlamydia or gonorrhoea), and 6,000 cases of non-specific epididymitis. There were an additional 24,000 other new STI infections.14

Sexually transmitted infections in England (data from 2019, all ages, total population 56.3 million).

Source: Public Health England - Official Statistics - Sexually transmitted infections (STIs): annual data tables.14