10 Countries With The Highest STD Rates in the Developed World

The 10 countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world serve as a reminder that no matter how far we have come combating diseases, the war is yet to be won. Several methods have been developed by modern science and medicine to ensure that the spread of such diseases is contained.These include encouraging the usage of condoms, which can significantly help in containing sexually transmitted diseases. In fact, using protection for sex is considered to be one of the leading reasons behind the drop in the rate of STDs in the developed world. However, unfortunately, not many people tend to follow this advice. Young people are more likely to abstain from using condoms as they tend to believe that it ruins or at least decreases the pleasure of sex. Combine that mentality with young people also believing that they are invincible, and you can understand why we still have high rates of STDs today, even in the developed world.

STDs are generally not life-threatening, especially bearing in mind the diseases which we have considered to determine the countries in the developed world with high STD rates. Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis are some of the most common sexually transmitted diseases present across the world. While the fight against HIV has been largely successful, the same attention has not been given to these three diseases since they are not considered to be life-threatening.

Among heterosexuals, the issue is not so significant, but the diseases are especially prevalent among men who have sex with men as well as bisexuals. These two categories make up the bulk of the cases, and attempts to deal with this problem have not been very successful, especially in recent times. To counter this, the governments in most countries are spreading awareness by convincing people to stay with one partner, or practice monogamy. However, as seen by the high rates of STDs still present, it is hard to convince people to be monogamous.

So what are the countries which have the biggest STD problem in the developed world? Well, that was not an easy question to answer. We initially considered the countries which should be counted among the developed ones. For that, we only selected the top 40 countries in the Human Development Index. If you’re more interested in HIV specifically, you might want to visit the 11 Countries with the Highest HIV Rates in the World. Unfortunately, there are no global organizations which carry out studies in this respect on a global scale. Luckily for us, most of these countries belonged to Europe, and hence, the European Surveillance Report was our primary resource in this respect. For other countries, we used separate resources for each country. While the report provided us with the total cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis, to determine the rates, we divided the aforementioned cases with the total population of each country and then ranked them according to the rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis for each country. Let’s see which are those unfortunate countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world. 

10. Belgium

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 44.49

Ranking based on chlamydia: 15

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 9.03

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  17

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 9.2

Ranking based on syphilis: 3

Insider Monkey Score: 11.67

Belgium has seen a consistent increase in the rate of STDS, with special emphasis laid on chlamydia, the rate of which has doubled in the past decade in some of the cities. The startling fact is, this is probably an estimate on the lower side, as the country has not made testing for STDs a standard procedure. Hence, there is a strong chance that there are many people in the country who are actually unaware that they have contracted an STD. Furthermore, 40% of the microbiology labs do not communicate their findings to organizations compiling statistics, which is another reason why there is a strong chance that these stats are actually under-reported.

9. Malta

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 29.06

Ranking based on chlamydia: 17

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 14.41

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  12

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 9.21

Ranking based on syphilis: 2

Insider Monkey Score: 10.33

It is obvious that Malta has an STD problem, with the rates being one of the highest in entire Europe. However, it is pleasant to note that the government has started taking steps to counter this major issue, and is establishing clinics all over the country, whose purpose is not just to provide a cure but also to spread awareness about the effects of STDs and methods that can be practiced to reduce the risk of contracting an infection. And now, let’s see what else we have in our list of countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world.

8. Latvia

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 99.8

Ranking based on chlamydia: 13

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 27.52

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  7

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 6.31

Ranking based on syphilis: 10

Insider Monkey Score: 10.00

Despite the fact that Latvia has an established and comprehensive national healthcare system, the system has been unable to counter the growing rate of STDs in the country, which are a major cause for concern regarding health in the nation. Surveys and surveillance are being carried out, especially with regards to groups who are at major risk for contracting STDs, such as men who have sex with men and sex workers, in order to determine the most common cause and how to reduce it to an appropriate level.

7. Denmark

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 460.3

Ranking based on chlamydia: 4

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 14.55

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  11

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 5.65

Ranking based on syphilis: 13

Insider Monkey Score: 9.33

In Denmark, the rate of chlamydia is exceptionally high, and is the primary reason behind it being counted as one of the countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world. The disease is mostly found in the age group 20-29, as apparently, young people fail to consider protection before having sex, which has led to an exceptional number of sexually transmitted diseases.

6. Canada

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 299

Ranking based on chlamydia: 9

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 36

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  5

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 6

Ranking based on syphilis: 12

Insider Monkey Score: 8.67

In Canada, gonorrhea is the main issue, with Canada having the fifth-highest rate of gonorrhea in the world. However, what may be more damaging in the long-term for Canada is syphilis, since the rate of this disease has been increasing significantly over the past few years. It is true though, that the numbers may actually be misleading. For example, it is thought that now more people are getting tested for STDs and more laboratories are performing these tests, which has led to more diseases being detected.

4. New Zealand

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 629

Ranking based on chlamydia: 2

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 70

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  2

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 3

Ranking based on syphilis: 21

Insider Monkey Score: 8.33

In New Zealand, that’s up next in our list of countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world, people tend to lose their virginity at an early age, an age where the ramifications and consequences of getting infected with sexually transmitted diseases are not yet apparent. This is why teens tend to disregard protection when it comes to sex and is probably also the reason why gonorrhea is more prevalent in the 15-19 age bracket.

4. United Kingdom

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 368.16

Ranking based on chlamydia: 7

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 50.51

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  4

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 5.57

Ranking based on syphilis: 14

Insider Monkey Score: 8.33

In the UK, gonorrhea is the primary STD which has affected the population, and experts are warning that a sexual health crisis may be looming for the country which is so proud of its healthcare system. The STDs are especially prevalent among men who have sex with men, and while the rate of chlamydia has dropped, it is thought that this may be due to fewer people actually getting tested for the disease.

3. Singapore

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 42.45

Ranking based on chlamydia: 16

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 30.97

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  6

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 30.39

Ranking based on syphilis: 1

Insider Monkey Score: 7.67

Surprisingly, Singapore ranks pretty high among the countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world, perhaps because the government initially did not take the necessary steps to spread awareness regarding their effects and the most effective prevention methods. Or maybe the reason that Singapore ranks so highly is that it is mandatory to report results regarding tests for STDs, a law which is found in few other nations.

2. Australia

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 371.81

Ranking based on chlamydia: 6

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 68

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  3

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 8.64

Ranking based on syphilis: 5

Insider Monkey Score: 4.67

We are continuing our list of countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world is Western Australia that is dealing with the sharp rise in the rates of STDs, which has led to experts seeking ways to spread awareness about safe sex and the consequences of not following this practice.

1. United States of America

Rate of chlamydia per 100,000 people: 479

Ranking based on chlamydia: 3

Rate of gonorrhea per 100,000 people: 124

Ranking based on gonorrhea:  1

Rate of syphilis per 100,000 people: 8

Ranking based on syphilis: 6

Insider Monkey Score: 3.33

The good old USA tops the list of countries with the highest STD rates in the developed world. While the government has taken steps to spread awareness regarding safe sex, it is still not a very common practice in the country.