BANGKOK, THAILAND – HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in Thailand rose among 15- to 24-year-olds, even as overall case numbers declined in the long term, a government social report showed.
More new infections than forecast
National figures recorded a cumulative total of 547,556 HIV cases up to 2025, with 13,357 new infections added that year alone.
Health authorities also assumed that the real number of new infections had been around 1.5 times higher than the projections of the Department of Disease Control.
Young people at the centre of the statistics
Around one third of new infections fell into the 15–24 age group, turning the epidemic increasingly into an issue for young people.
Health Minister Pattanapong Phromphat stated that HIV and STI infections continued to rise, particularly in this age bracket.
“HIV and STI infections continue to increase, especially in this age group.”
said Pattanapong Phromphat, Health Minister.
Report: Fewer pregnancies not proof of safer sex
The National Economic and Social Development Council highlighted the trend in its social report for the fourth quarter of 2025, titled Safe Sex: Not Taboo but Necessary.
According to the document, the marked decline in teenage pregnancies did not prove that young people were using condoms more consistently or protecting themselves better overall.
Syphilis and gonorrhoea on the rise – especially in big cities
In parallel with HIV, other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, gonorrhoea and genital warts had also become more frequent among young people, particularly in cases of unprotected sex.
According to the ministry, syphilis cases increased 2.7-fold and gonorrhoea cases 2.5-fold over the past five years, mainly in large cities and tourist regions.
Knowledge present – protective behaviour still patchy
Experts saw a gap between knowledge and behaviour, as sex education in schools often remained focused on biology and paid too little attention to practical life skills for safe decision-making.
They added that teaching was frequently delivered in a lecture style and many teachers had too little training to address the topic openly and in a way that related to everyday life.
Condoms, apps and false senses of security
The report cited misunderstandings about storing and using condoms as a concrete problem that could quickly turn willingness to protect into protection failures.
It also noted that some young people had sexual contacts outside committed relationships, for example via acquaintances, friends, entertainment venues or dating apps, which made consistent protection more difficult.
Contraception focused on pregnancy – not infection
Another factor was that young people sometimes geared contraception more towards preventing pregnancy than preventing infection.
Experts said couples also dispensed with condoms because they considered their partner to be “low risk” or feared conflict.
Taboos and barriers in the health system
Because sex remained a sensitive issue in many parts of society, open discussions between parents, teachers and young people about protection and responsibility were often difficult.
Authorities also saw a need to catch up on youth-friendly services, including opening hours, the tone used in facilities and access to prevention products.
Goal: Fewer than 1,000 new infections per year
Deputy Health Minister Chaichana Dejdecho said that while absolute HIV numbers were falling nationwide, the share of young people among cases was rising.
“The absolute HIV figures are declining nationwide, but the proportion of young people among the cases is increasing.”
said Chaichana Dejdecho, Deputy Health Minister.
The ministry planned to conclude cooperation agreements with educational institutions and strengthen programmes, aiming to reduce new infections to at most 1,000 per year and limit deaths to under 4,000 annually.
Treatment effective – but costs billions
Since the first documented cases in 1986, around 540,000 people in Thailand were living with HIV, according to authorities, and more than 400,000 were receiving continuous antiretroviral therapy.
The state spent about 8.4 billion baht per year on treatment and prevention, including 6.2 billion baht for medicines and 1.2 billion baht for prevention work.
Condoms, PrEP, PEP – available protection options
Authorities stressed that prevention remained crucial despite effective treatment, above all through consistent condom use.
They also pointed to medicines as additional protection options, including PrEP before possible exposure and PEP within 72 hours after a risk contact.