Research: Sexually transmitted infections: East Midlands data

While this report primarily focuses on the trend between 2024 and 2025, some trends relative to 2019 or earlier are included to provide a comparison to sexual health service provision and sexually transmitted infection (STI) diagnoses prior to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020 and 2021. For England, the numbers of consultations, sexual health screens and STI diagnoses in 2020 and 2021 are lower than preceding years and any trends during periods which include those years must be interpreted in that context.

STIs represent an important public health problem in the East Midlands. Of all the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s regions it has the median rate of new STIs in England.

A total of 22,511 new STIs were diagnosed in the East Midlands population in 2025, a rate of 445 diagnoses per 100,000. Rates by upper tier local authority ranged from 287 new STI diagnoses per 100,000 in Rutland to 922 new STI diagnoses per 100,000 in Nottingham.

The number of new STIs diagnosed in the East Midlands population decreased by 9% between 2024 and 2025. Changes were seen in the numbers of the 5 main STIs: syphilis decreased by 8%, gonorrhoea decreased by 17%, chlamydia decreased by 7%, genital herpes decreased by 1% and genital warts decreased by 18%.

UKHSA recommends that local areas should be working towards achieving a chlamydia detection rate no lower than 3,250 per 100,000 among women aged 15 to 24 years and this is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework. In 2025, the chlamydia detection rate among East Midlands women aged 15 to 24 years was 1,689 per 100,000 compared to 1,846 per 100,000 in 2024.