In 2025, fewer people were tested for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at a Sexual Health Center (SHC) than in 2024. SHCs offer free testing to people who have a higher risk of STIs and who experience barriers to visiting a GP. With a total of 146,982 consultations, this represents a decrease of 8 percent compared to the previous year. This is the first year that the number of consultations has fallen below the level seen before the COVID pandemic. The decline was especially visible among women and among men who have sex with women (MSW). The percentage of consultations at which an STI was diagnosed was 17 percent. These figures come from the 2025 STI annual report by the RIVM, which describes yearly developments in STIs in the Netherlands, including the number of tests and diagnoses per STI.
Change in chlamydia testing policy
In 2025, a new chlamydia testing policy was introduced at the SHCs. From now on, only people with STI‑related symptoms or with a partner who has STI symptoms are routinely tested for chlamydia. Due to this more selective approach, the number of chlamydia tests and diagnoses has dropped sharply, while the proportion of positive tests has increased. This has a major impact on the outcomes in the STI annual report: the 2025 chlamydia figures are not directly comparable with those from previous years. The revised policy means that trends in the number of tests and the number of diagnosed infections in 2025 must be interpreted differently. For other STIs, the testing policy remained unchanged and trends can be followed directly.
General practitioners
Besides testing at an SHC, people can also be tested for STIs by their general practitioner (GP). The 2025 GP figures are not yet available. In 2024, GPs registered an estimated total of 323,000 STI‑related consultations. This is 6 percent fewer than in 2023 (345,200).
Chlamydia
Chlamydia is the most frequently reported STI among MSW and women. Due to the new policy, far fewer chlamydia tests were registered at the SHCs in 2025. The number of tests fell from 157,386 to 56,288. The number of diagnoses also dropped sharply, from 20,174 to 10,731, a decrease of 47 percent compared with 2024.
Gonorrhoea
In 2025, gonorrhoea was the most frequently reported STI at the SHCs. The number of gonorrhoea diagnoses at the SHCs rose slightly in 2025 to 14,297 (13,952 in 2024). The percentage of women with gonorrhoea remained high at 4.3 percent (4.2 percent in 2024), the highest level since measurements began in 2003. The percentage of MSW with gonorrhoea also remained high at 4.4 percent (3.7 percent in 2024). Among MSM, the percentage increased from 15.0 in 2024 to 15.5 percent. In 2025, resistance to ceftriaxone, the first‑choice antibiotic for gonorrhoea, was detected in the Netherlands for the first time. The bacterial strain was successfully treated, and no further spread has been reported.
Syphilis
There were more syphilis diagnoses than in 2024 (1,927 versus 1,798). The percentage of MSM with syphilis was 2.5 percent, comparable to 2024 (2.4 percent). The number of diagnoses among women increased from 43 in 2024 to 60 in 2025. Among MSW, the number rose from 56 in 2024 to 64 in 2025.
HIV
In 2025, 979 people with HIV were newly registered in care at HIV treatment centres, a slight decrease compared with 1,013 people in 2024. Of these, 440 received a new HIV diagnosis in 2025. The number of new diagnoses rose slightly (+6 percent), mainly among women (+16 percent) and MSW (+34%), although the total numbers in these groups remain relatively low. Among MSM, the number of new diagnoses fell by 9 percent.
An overview of the key figures is provided in an infographic. The report ‘Sexually transmitted infections in the Netherlands in 2025’ is also available.