John Elflein
Research expert covering health and health care
Sexually transmitted diseases in Canada - Statistics & Facts
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), also known as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and venereal diseases (VD), are infections that are spread through sexual contact. Common types of STDs include chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, and the human papillomavirus (HPV). Although the spread of STDs can be easily prevented through education, testing, and the use of condoms, rates of several STDs have risen in Canada in recent years. In 2021, there were a total of over 104,000 new cases of chlamydia reported in Canada, as well as 32,079 new cases of gonorrhea, and 11,516 cases of syphilis. Despite the increase in cases and the fact that younger people are more likely to contract STDs, a survey of university students in Canada from 2021 found that only 29 percent of women and 36 percent of men were concerned about sexually transmitted diseases. Furthermore, only 40 percent of women who were surveyed and 57 percent of men reported using a condom during their last sexual intercourse.
Have rates of chlamydia in Canada really increased?
In 1991, the rate of reported cases of chlamydia in Canada was around 170 per 100,000 population. In 2019, this rate reached a high for this period, with 371 cases per 100,000 population. However, the rate of reported cases of chlamydia did drop in 2020 and 2021, perhaps due to the social restrictions put in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic that was gripping the nation and the world at this time. Rates of chlamydia have increased for both men and women in Canada, but the infection is more common among women. In 2021, the rate of new cases of chlamydia among Canadian women was 318 per 100,000 population compared to a rate of 226 per 100,000 among men. The provinces or territories with the highest rates of chlamydia are Nunavut, the Northeast Territories, and the Yukon. Although chlamydia can be serious if left untreated and can cause permanent damage to a woman’s reproductive system, it can usually be easily treated with a short course of antibiotics. However, chlamydia often has no symptoms so many people do not know they have the infection, highlighting the importance of getting tested if one is at risk.Gonorrhea in Canada
Rates of Gonorrhea have also increased in Canada over the past decade, although they are still well below rates recorded in the 1980s. In 2021, there were around 84 new cases of gonorrhea in Canada per 100,000 population, a slight increase from the rate of 81 per 100,000 reported the year before. Gonorrhea is more common among men in Canada than women with a rate of 107 per 100,000 population among men and 62 per 100,000 women in the year 2021. The provinces or territories with the highest rates of gonorrhea are Nunavut, the Northwest Territories, and Saskatchewan. Although gonorrhea can be cured with the use of antibiotics, the infection has become increasingly resistant to antibiotics and therefore more difficult to successfully treat.
