Mumps - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2023

Surveillance and monitoring

4 Aug 2025

Publication series: Annual Epidemiological Report

Time period covered: This report is based on data for 2023 retrieved from EpiPulse cases on 12 March 2025.

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For 2023, 2 963 cases of mumps were reported to ECDC by 27 EU/EEA Member States with an overall notification rate of 0.7 cases per 100 000 population. This was similar to 2022, but slightly higher than the notification rate reported in 2021 (0.4) and significantly lower than the notification rates reported during the preceding two years (2020=1.7, 2019=3.4) in the EU/EEA.

In 2023, those aged 1–4 and 5–9 years experienced the highest age-specific notification rates (4.4, 4.05 retrospectively).
In 2023, there has been a shift towards those in older age groups being diagnosed with mumps, with individuals over 30 years of age the most affected in terms of absolute numbers (26.4%). The median age of cases was 21 years which is higher than 2022 when the median was 10 years.
Mumps was slightly more common among males (53.7%) than females with an overall male to female ratio of 1.16:1. Notification rates for males were higher in the younger age groups (<1, 1–4, 5-9, 10–14, and 15–19 years) and slightly lower than females among adults (20–29 and 30 years and older groups).
Children aged 5–9 years accounted for 25.1% of cases in 2023, with 34% of them being fully vaccinated (with at least two doses).
High MMR vaccination coverage is essential to prevent mumps outbreaks and progress towards measles and rubella elimination; being vaccinated is also associated with decreased disease severity.