The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new database that organization officials hope will help improve understanding of the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
It contains published and unpublished STI prevalence data collected from 766 studies and 2,453 prevalence data points from 2010 through January 23, 2026, but will be continuously updated as new data become available.
This database represents a first major step forward in our ability to understand the burden of sexually transmitted infections across diverse populations and settings.
WHO officials say they hope the database will help address the lack of reliable country- and population-specific STI data, particularly in lower-resource countries.
“This database represents a first major step forward in our ability to understand the burden of sexually transmitted infections across diverse populations and settings,” Tereza Kasaeva, MD, PhD, director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs, said in a press release.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new database that organization officials hope will help improve understanding of the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
The STI Prevalence Atlas, launched late last week, tracks five of the most common STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes simplex virus type 2 (the main cause of genital herpes), syphilis, and trichomoniasis. It contains published and unpublished STI prevalence data collected from 766 studies and 2,453 prevalence data points from 2010 through January 23, 2026, but will be continuously updated as new data become available.
The data come from more than 130 countries and cover a wide range of settings and populations, including household surveys and studies conducted among pregnant women, sex workers, and STI clinic attendees. The WHO says the evidence included in the database “allows for an understanding of STI epidemiology across both general and higher risk populations.”
Data could inform targeted interventions
The WHO produces global and regional estimates of the most common STIs every few years. In 2020, data collected by the organization showed an estimated 374 million new infections in people ages 15 to 49 with one of four curable STIs (chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis)—more than 1 million every day. More than 520 million people were estimated to be living with genital herpes in 2020.
These STIs are often asymptomatic and frequently go undiagnosed in LMICs, where diagnostic tests are either unavailable or expensive and not widely accessible.
Beyond the immediate impact of the infection, STIs like herpes, gonorrhea, and syphilis can increase the risk of acquiring HIV, while untreated gonorrhea and chlamydia are major causes of pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility in women. STIs can also be passed from pregnant women to their newborns.
This database represents a first major step forward in our ability to understand the burden of sexually transmitted infections across diverse populations and settings.
WHO officials say they hope the database will help address the lack of reliable country- and population-specific STI data, particularly in lower-resource countries.
“This database represents a first major step forward in our ability to understand the burden of sexually transmitted infections across diverse populations and settings,” Tereza Kasaeva, MD, PhD, director of WHO’s Department for HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STIs, said in a press release. “By making these data openly accessible, we are equipping countries and partners with the evidence needed to design targeted interventions, strengthen surveillance systems and accelerate progress towards reducing the global impact of STIs.”
