Herpes by the Numbers: How the Latest Data Impacts You
Understanding the Latest Herpes Research and How It Affects Your Dating Life and Sexual Health
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released updated herpes research revealing new data for how many people actually have herpes. The research looks at both how many people are currently living with herpes (prevalence) and how many new cases occur each year (incidence). In 2020, over 1 in 5 adults globally live with genital herpes—approximately 846 million people, with 42 million new cases occurring each year. That’s one person diagnosed every second.
Before diving into the data, let’s explore why numbers and statistics often dominate conversations around herpes. From transmission rates to global prevalence, these numbers can elicit both comfort and confusion. Some find statistics helpful for education and reducing stigma with prospective partners. For others, numbers can feel impersonal or overwhelming, especially when navigating a diagnosis or supporting someone who has herpes.
Whether you're personally affected by herpes or not, understanding these statistics helps build awareness and compassion, while reducing stigma in today's dating environment.
Why Do Herpes Statistics Matter?
Herpes is challenging from the moment of diagnosis. Questions about where, when, and how we got it are common and can lead to a desire for control.
Having an understanding of our body is important—for so many reasons. When it comes to a stigmatized infection, like herpes, it’s normal to want some sense of control over it. That’s often why many of us (including myself when I was diagnosed), become obsessed with the data. We leverage transmission statistics with potential partners as they’re weighing the odds of having sex with us. While transmission statistics are helpful, they’re only a pathway to deeper understanding. Outliers always exist.
Statistics can be helpful tools for education, but they alone don’t resolve stigma. Unfortunately, for many, the bottom line remains: herpes transmission is still a possibility. Even though they likely don’t have all the education and may be functioning off misinformation, willful ignorance remains a powerful barrier to hesitation in intimacy.
The Research Behind the Numbers
This comprehensive update comes from Sexually Transmitted Infections, a peer-reviewed journal published by BMJ Publishing (part of the British Medical Association). The study updates the WHO’s previous estimates from 2012 and 2016, providing new insights into how herpes impacts people across the globe.
Global Overview 2020:
Total genital herpes cases: 846.1 million people globally
New cases annually: 42.4 million
Symptomatic outbreaks: 205 million people (5.3%) experienced at least one symptomatic episode of genital herpes in 2020
Impact varies significantly by region and demographics
HSV-2 Findings:
New infections: 26 million people aged 15-49 years
Total affected: 520 million people globally (13%)
Key Impacts:
Accounts for 90% of symptomatic cases
The data shows different impacts based on sex assigned at birth. People assigned female at birth (AFAB) were disproportionately affected compared to those assigned male at birth (AMAB): 6.2% of AFAB individuals vs 3.5% of AMAB individuals experienced outbreaks
HSV-1 Insights:
Total (oral and genital): 3.8 billion people under age 50 (64% of global population)
New genital infections: 16.8 million people annually
Total HSV-1 genital infections: 376.2 million people
Distribution by sex assigned at birth:
Equal numbers of new infections between AFAB and AMAB individuals: 8.4 million each
Slight difference in overall prevalence: 10.5% in AFAB individuals compared to 9.9% in AMAB individuals
Important shift: Americas region shows highest prevalence rate of genital HSV-1, highlighting a shift in how this virus typically presents.
Global Insights: What’s Changing?
These estimates reveal several important trends in how herpes infections are evolving globally:
While HSV-1 infections are predominantly oral and often acquired in childhood, genital transmission is increasing in adolescents and adults.
Genital HSV-1 infections have nearly doubled from 192 million in 2016 to 376.2 million in 2020.
HSV-2 continues to show increasing prevalence globally
Rates decrease with age across all regions
Understanding the Research Process
To ensure these numbers are as accurate as possible, researchers took several important steps. First, they looked at existing research and combined it with population data from the United Nations to understand how herpes affects different age groups and regions.
Age Considerations:
Primary focus: ages 15-49 for genital HSV
Included children through adults (0-49) for oral HSV-1
Also looked at older adults (50-99) based on 45-49 year old rates to get a complete picture
Careful Analysis
Used standardized calculations to ensure consistency
Ran calculations 1,000 times to ensure statistical accuracy
Key Assumption: Researchers recognized that genital HSV-1 mainly affects people 15 and older, while younger people typically get oral HSV-1. This helps us better understand transmission patterns at different life stages.
Beyond the Numbers: What This Means for You
While these numbers provide valuable insights, you might be wondering what they mean for your personal situation. Even though these numbers might seem overwhelming, they highlight an important truth—herpes is a common part of the human experience, affecting nearly a billion people globally.
These numbers reinforce what we already know: we need more open conversations about sexual health and better sex education to support those discussions. It’s a reminder to use them to:
Guide conversations with healthcare providers
Provide context for understanding herpes from a global perspective
Support informed decisions about your sexual health
However, just like transmission statistics, these numbers don’t tell the whole story. They can inform and educate, but they don't define anyone’s individual experience or future. As research continues to evolve and we better understand both HSV-1 and HSV-2, let’s focus on what we can control: staying informed, practicing your sexual self-care, and fostering education and understanding.
Whether you're personally affected by herpes or seeking to understand it better, remember this: you're more than a statistic, and you’re more than a risk to be taken—you’re an informed decision.
References
Looker, K. J., et al. (2015). Global Estimates of Prevalent and Incident Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 Infections in 2012.
Looker, K. J., et al. (2018). Global and Regional Estimates of the Lifetime Prevalence of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in 2016.
James, C., et al. (2020). Herpes Simplex Virus: Global Infection Prevalence and Incidence Estimates, 2016. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 98(5), 315–329.