Hepatitis B - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2024
Surveillance and monitoring
For 2024, 30 EU/EEA countries reported 37 605 cases of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, corresponding to a crude rate of 7.5 cases per 100 000 population.
- A total of 6% were reported as acute infections, 40% as chronic, 42% as being at an undetermined stage of infection and 12% could not be classified due to aggregate reporting.
- The highest notification rates for both acute and chronic infections were observed among adults aged 35–44-years. Overall, more cases were reported in men than women (male-to-female ratio 1.5:1), with a higher ratio among acute cases (2.4:1) than chronic cases (1.4:1).
- Among acute cases with available information on transmission (23% with complete information), sex-related transmission (heterosexual or unspecified contact, sex work, excluding men who have sex with men) was the most frequently reported category (28%), followed by transmission among men who have sex with men (12%) and nosocomial transmission (13%), with most infections acquired in the reporting country (82%). Among chronic cases (7% completeness for transmission), vertical transmission was the most reported route of transmission (52%) with most infections reported as imported (94%).
- The overall notification rate of acute hepatitis B cases was 0.6 per 100 000 population in 2024. Among countries reporting consistently since 2015, notification rates for acute cases declined from 0.6 in 2015 to 0.3 in 2020, followed by an increase and stabilisation at approximately 0.6 per 100 000 between 2022 and 2024. The overall low numbers, particularly in the younger age groups, probably reflect the impact of national vaccination programmes.
- The overall notification rate of chronic cases was 4.8 cases per 100 000 population in 2024. Among countries reporting consistently over time, the rate decreased from 5.0 per 100 000 in 2015−2016 to 2.2 in 2020−2021, with a subsequent increase to 2.9 per 100 000 in 2024.
- Data completeness for key variables, including disease stage, transmission category and importation status, remains limited, restricting the interpretation of epidemiological patterns.
Publication file
Hepatitis B - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2024
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