Rates of gonorrhoea and syphilis have increased by more than 50 per cent in Australia over the past decade, with experts warning of concerning spikes for women and a disproportionate impact on First Nations people that must be treated as an “urgent priority”.
Data from the Kirby Institute at UNSW Sydney shows there were 42,393 gonorrhoea diagnoses and 5,986 diagnoses of syphilis in 2025. These figures represent an increase of more than 50 per cent over the last 10 years.
While men are affected most by syphilis, making up 78 per cent of diagnoses in 2025, experts are warning that the rise in diagnoses for women in recent years should be a public health priority.
According to the Kirby Institute, there has been an 167 per cent increase in syphilis among women compared to a 39 per cent increase among men over the last decade. Untreated STIs can cause other health issues, including pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, miscarriage and stillbirth.
“The rise in infectious syphilis in women is an urgent priority. While syphilis is entirely curable, untreated syphilis during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or infants being born with congenital syphilis, which is when the infection is transmitted to an unborn child,” epidemiologist at the Kirby Institute Dr Skye McGregor said.
“Congenital syphilis is an extremely serious condition for infants that can result in significant lifelong health impacts, and in the most severe cases can be fatal.”
There were 14 cases of congenital syphilis in 2025, with 6 of these cases being First Nations infants.
“With timely screening, syphilis can be cured and transmission prevented, so even one case of congenital syphilis is completely avoidable and unacceptable,” Dr McGregor said.
“National guidelines have recently been updated to recommend a minimum of three syphilis tests during pregnancy, and monitoring the impact of this change on congenital syphilis incidence will be critical.”
First Nations people are disproportionately affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in Australia. They are diagnosed with chlamydia at more than 2.5 times the rate, gonorrhoea at more than four times the rate and syphilis at more than six times the rate, compared to non-Indigenous people.
“The gap in STI diagnoses between First Nations and non-Indigenous Australians remains deeply concerning, and in some areas, the disparity is widening,” says Robert Monaghan, Manager of the Yandamanjang First Nations Health Research Program at the Kirby Institute.
“These are not simply statistics. They reflect ongoing inequities in access to culturally safe, trusted and appropriate sexual health services.
“We know what works. We need sustained investment in services that are accessible to First Nations communities and designed with communities, rather than for communities.”
First Nations-focused point-of-care testing programs can more than double the proportion of people treated and cured of an STI within two days, according to the Kirby Institute.
Monaghan said curbing the disproportioante rates of congenital syphilis among First Nations people will require culturally safe, community-informed approaches that support women to access testing, treatment and antenatal care.