Thousands of monkeypox cases have been identified around the world.Thousands of monkeypox cases have been identified around the world.
Thousands of monkeypox cases have been identified around the world.

Monkeypox: 15 countries with the most cases - including Spain, USA and England

A global outbreak of monkeypox this year has now led to more than 18,000 cases worldwide. But which countries have been worst hit?

This year’s global monkeypox outbreak has now spread to at least 82 new countries, with more than 18,000 cases confirmed so far.

Last week, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a Public Health Emergency of International Concern – the highest level of alert.

Monkeypox is transmitted by close contact and until this year had mainly been found in central and west Africa.

The upsurge in cases has mainly been identified in gay, bisexual, and men who have sex with men, according to research by health officials, although the WHO has said some monkeypox cases are also being detected in women and children.

The UK Health Security Agency has identified more than 2,400 cases across the UK so far, 13% of the worldwide total.

But the outbreak has also taken hold in many other countries where it had not previously been endemic, across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia.

Data science initiative Global.Health has compiled figures for each country, based on information collated from publicly available sources.

According to these figures, 14 countries have reported at least 100 cases, with five reporting more than 1,000 cases. The figures are based on the 2022 outbreak from April onwards, so countries where monkeypox was already endemic are not included.

Here we reveal which countries have recorded the greatest number of positive and suspected cases of monkeypox, as of 27 July.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.