Quick Facts
5,134 gonorrhea cases were registered in Denmark
3,747 cases were registered among men and 1,387 among women
343,224 test episodes were completed
Incidence continued to rise among men who have sex with men, while there were signs of stabilization among heterosexuals
In 8 percent of cases where the country of infection was reported, the infection was acquired abroad.
Two cases of ceftriaxone-resistant gonococci were found in 2025. A third was found in January 2026. All three people were infected in Southeast Asia. It is especially in Cambodia and Vietnam that such gonococci are found.
No further spread of the three ceftriaxone-resistant gonococcal strains has been detected in Denmark.
The Statens Serum Institut (SSI) reports 5,134 cases of gonorrhea in Denmark in 2025, a number on par with recent years; however, among men who have sex with men, the increase continues, while the development among heterosexuals appears to be more stable, according to their recently published 2025 annual report on gonorrhea.
In 2025, information on where gonorrhea was acquired was available for 4,013 episodes (78%), of which 8% were reported as having been acquired abroad (10% in 2024). In 2025, 338 cases were reported as having been acquired abroad, distributed across 53 countries, most of which were acquired in Spain, Germany, Thailand, Sweden and the United Kingdom. A higher proportion of gonorrhea episodes among men were acquired abroad (10%) compared to women (5%). By sexual orientation, 9% of cases among MSM were acquired abroad, while for MSM it was 10%.
Drug-resistant Gonorrhea: An urgent threat to public health worldwide
In 2025, men accounted for 73% of the registered gonorrhea episodes, which is an increase of two percentage points from 2024.
In 12 cases, infection between two women was reported (eight in 2024).
In 2025, gonorrhea, in addition to the usual anatomical locations (urogenital, anorectal and pharynx), was detected in 20 cases from eyes, synovial fluid and blood.
The new report also shows changes in the resistance of gonorrhea bacteria to antibiotics. Over time, the gonorrhea bacteria have developed resistance to several antibiotics, and in a few cases acquired abroad, SSI has now also found resistance to the antibiotic that is normally used against gonorrhea in Denmark.
In Denmark, gonorrhea is generally treated with the antibiotic ceftriaxone. Resistance to ceftriaxone is still very rare in Denmark, but international developments are giving rise to concern.
In 2025, SSI found ceftriaxone-resistant gonococci in two men who had been infected in Southeast Asia. In January 2026, another case was found, also in a man infected in Southeast Asia. In all three cases, there was only a very low level of resistance.
All three were treated with ceftriaxone, and there was no treatment failure. Analyses of the bacteria’s DNA show that the three cases are not related, and SSI has found no signs that the resistant gonococci have spread further in Denmark.