The number of recorded cases were three times higher in 2024 than a decade before
12:11, 22 Sep 2025Updated 12:16, 22 Sep 2025
Students are being warned to use condoms as gonorrhoea cases remain high in Wales(Image: Getty)
Thousands of people last year were diagnosed with the ancient venereal diseases gonorrhoea – three times more than a decade earlier in 2015, data shows as the UK Health Security Agency has warned students not to have unprotected sex during Freshers Week.
Last year, there were 3,204 cases of gonorrhoea in Wales, almost triple the number from 2015 (973). The infection rate – used to measure the risk of catching a disease – stood at 101.3 infections per 100,000 people in 2024. That’s the equivalent of one in 987 people in Wales catching this STI, which is more than triple the rate from a decade ago (31.7 infections per 100,000 people).
However, that is much lower than in 2023 (168.6 infections per 100,000 people), when the number of gonorrhoea cases peaked at 5,336 in Wales.
Medics say STIs are “declining from a high level” but are warning students in particular need to be aware of the risks of infections, which are most common among those aged 15 to 24.
The data comes after it was reported that Wales is one of the first nations in the world to start vaccinating certain people against gonorrhoea.
You can view our interactive map of cases in Wales here:
While infections fell by 40% in 2024, they remain historically high.
The ancient sexually transmitted infection is referenced in the Bible and early Greek and Roman writing.
In Wales, the risk of contracting gonorrhoea is much higher in Cardiff than anywhere else in the country.
Last year, the infection rate recorded by the Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, which is responsible for NHS services in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, was 226.7, more than double the national average.
That’s the equivalent of about one in 441 people catching gonorrhoea. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here
The next highest rate was reported by the Swansea Bay University Health Board – which covers Swansea and Neath Port Talbot – with 117.5 infections per 100,000 of the population, and then Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which covers Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, and Torfaen (109.7 per 100,000).
Public Health Wales last year warned cases of syphilis were also rising and called on people to use STI testing kits, which can be sent people’s homes.
Speaking when the Sexual Health Trends in Wales report was published, Professor Daniel Thomas, consultant epidemiologist at Public Health Wales said: “While these rising numbers may reflect in part an increase in the number of tests being carried out in Wales, they also raise concerns of increasing transmission of these sexually transmitted infections, particularly among young people.
“Public Health Wales remains committed to providing accessible testing for STIs through it’s free, confidential test-and-post service, and encourages everyone to take proactive steps to manage their sexual health.”