How many people have STDs?

Every year in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that there are 20 million new sexually transmitted infections. The CDC also advises that STIs have been increasing since 2014, with a 19% increase for chlamydia infections, a 63% increase for gonorrhea infections, and a 71% increase for primary and secondary syphilis. 

Although sexually transmitted infections can affect anyone, adolescents and young adults ages 15-24 make up just over one-quarter of the sexually active population yet they account for half of the new infections in the United States each year.

Men who have sex with men (MSM) are at a greater risk of HIV infection. More than half of the new HIV infections occur among MSM. They have also had increasing rates of syphilis over the last decade.