Sexual health: interactive maps show syphilis and gonorrhoea hotspots in England – see how your area compares

Rural parts of Lincolnshire, Devon and Yorkshire are among the areas to see rocketing rates of sexually transmitted infections, new analysis shows.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed on June 6 how syphilis and gonorrhoea cases had surged to record levels in England last year. Gonorrhoea diagnoses in 2022 were the highest since records began in 1918, with cases rising from 54,961 in 2021 to 82,592 in 2022, an increase of 50.3%, while syphilis diagnoses were also the highest since 1948, with figures jumping from 7,543 in 2021 to 8,692 in 2022, an increase of 15.2%.

London had England’s highest rates of syphilis and gonorrhoea last year, with Lambeth the worst affected local authority in the country for both infections, analysis of official health figures shows.

NationalWorld has found some parts of the country have particularly high rates of syphilis and gonorrhoea infections – is your local area one of them? The interactive maps further down this article will show you how gonorrhoea and syphilis infection rates and cases compare in your local area to the rest of the country. 

Sexual health campaigners are now warning that the STI services need better government funding to help fight STIs like syphilis and gonorrhoea. The figures come after NationalWorld exclusively revealed last year how sexual health services in England had seen their budgets slashed over the last five years, making it harder for people to access services.

Syphilis hotspots

London remains the region worst affected by syphilis in England, with Lambeth found to have the highest infection rate in the country (excluding the City of London, which has a very small resident population). Last year the borough recorded a rate of 143.3 cases per 100,000 people. The chart below shows the top 10 areas in England with the highest syphilis infection rates - all of which are in the capital. If you can’t see the chart on the page click here to open it in a new tab.

How does your local area compare to the syphilis hotspots of England? The interactive map below shows how many cases of syphilis were diagnosed in 2022, the rate per 100,000 people and whether the infection rate has increased since 2021. If you can’t see the map below click here to view it in a new tab.

Some local areas in England have also seen huge increases in infection rates over the past year. West Lindsey in Lincolnshire has seen the greatest increase between 2021 and 2022 with syphilis infection rates rising 800% from one case per 100,000 people in 2021 to 9.4 per 100,000 people in 2022. The chart below shows the top 10 areas in England that have seen the greatest increase in syphilis infection rates.

As well as having the second highest infection rate in England, Lambeth also recorded the greatest total number of syphilis diagnoses last year, recording 455 cases in total. Only two local authorities in England, the Isles of Scilly and Rother, recorded zero syphilis cases in 2022.

Gonorrhoea hotpots

Gonorrhoea, which is becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, is also affecting Londoners the most. Lambeth was again found to have the highest infection rates in the country, this time recording 1220.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2022. The chart below shows the local areas in England with the highest infection rates in 2022 – if you can’t see the chart click here to open in in a new tab.

It is not just London that recorded high gonorrhoea infection rates in 2022. You can find out how your local area compares using the interactive map below. It shows how many cases of gonorrhoea were diagnosed in 2022, the rate per 100,000 people and whether the infection rate has increased since 2021. If you can’t see the map below click here to view it in a new tab.

East Lindsey in Lincolnshire was found to have seen the greatest increase in gonorrhoea infection rates over the past year with the number surging 591% – in 2021, the area recorded a rate of 7.7 per 100,000 people, surging to 53.2 per 100,000 in 2022. The chart below shows the top 10 areas in England that have seen the greatest increase in syphilis infection rates. If you can’t see the chart, click here to open it in a new tab.

Lambeth was again found to have the highest infection numbers in the country, recording 3,875 cases of gonorrhoea in 2022. Only the Isles of Scilly recorded zero cases.

Cuts to sexual health services

The UKHSA found that there were over 400 diagnoses of STIs made each day among young people, with people aged 15 to 24 years remaining the most likely to be diagnosed with a STI.

A spokesperson said that wearing condoms and getting tested regularly was key to combating STIs. But a recent investigation by  NationalWorld found that sexual health services had seen their budgets slashed over the last five years, making it harder for people to access prevention, testing and treatment services. 

Last year (November 2022) we revealed how sexual health services have seen their budgets slashed by almost a third over the last five years in England, leading campaigners to warn that specialist clinics for young people and in deprived areas are closing down.

Annual spending by councils on services across England has seen a real-terms cut of £221 million, or 29%, in the five years to March 2021. This includes £153 million, in real-terms prices, slashed from work to prevent, test and treat sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and advice services and £68 million cut from contraception services.

Commenting on the rise of STIs in England, Richard Angell, chief executive of Terrence Higgins Trust, accused the government of having “no vision or ambition for improving sexual health in England”.

He said: “We’ve seen cuts where we need to see investment. This has reduced our sexual health services to a minimal disease management process. This cannot continue. If this were any other set of health conditions, there would be outcry and we’d see rapid action and much needed funding.”