Antibiotic-resistant bloodstream infections in England averaged 406 a week in 2025, UKHSA said on Thursday, though the annual rise slowed to 3.2 per cent.
The UK Health Security Agency reported 21,129 resistant bacteraemia cases in 2025, up 16.8 per cent from 18,086 in 2019. Bacteraemia is an infection with bacteria in the bloodstream.
Cases rose from 20,468 in 2024 to 21,129 in 2025. The previous year’s increase was 9.3 per cent, from 18,732 to 20,468. The previous annual report put 2024 at an average of nearly 400 resistant episodes a week.
Total antibiotic use in the NHS fell 10.7 per cent between 2019 and 2025, from 17.8 to 15.9 defined daily doses per 1,000 inhabitants per day. Private prescriptions dispensed in community pharmacies, counted separately, fell from 0.61 to 0.48 over 2024 to 2025.
Estimated deaths among people with a resistant Gram-negative bacteraemia stayed broadly level, at 2,318 in 2025 against 2,399 in 2024.
Dr Shona Arora, UKHSA’s Interim Chief Medical Advisor, said the fall in use was a positive sign but that challenges remained. “We can’t rely on reducing antibiotic use alone,” she said, adding that work with global partners to prevent infections and explore new treatments must continue.
People in the most deprived areas had a resistant bacteraemia rate of 44.4 per 100,000 population, against 30.8 in the least deprived areas, a rate 44.2 per cent higher.
Older people carry the largest share. Adults over 45 accounted for 19,245 of the 21,129 cases, and 10,706 cases were in people over 74.
UKHSA said the risk rises with age because people are more likely to have multiple complex conditions and more exposure to healthcare.
Ethnic groups differed markedly in the proportion of bacteraemia episodes that were resistant. In the Asian or Asian British group it was 42.4 per cent, at 46.6 cases per 100,000.
In the Black, African, Caribbean or Black British group the proportion was 32.8 per cent, at 45.2 per 100,000.
In the White group it was 20.7 per cent, at 33.9 per 100,000.
Rates also vary between Integrated Care Boards. NHS North West London was highest at 63.3 per 100,000, followed by North East London at 51.1 and Frimley at 50.8. NHS Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland was lowest at 27.4.
UKHSA said it is working with partners to understand the reasons for the differences and to develop interventions.
A preliminary analysis estimated that about 53,400 Gram-negative bloodstream infection-related hospital admissions cost NHS hospitals around £800 million between 2023 and 2024. Work continues to quantify the costs directly attributable to infection and resistance.
Dame Diana Johnson, Minister for Public Health and Patient Safety, said such infections are “harder to treat and can be life-threatening” and that more must be done to protect older people and those in the most deprived areas.
Arora and Johnson both urged people to take antibiotics only when told to by a healthcare professional, and never to save or share them. Johnson also asked patients to complete the course.
Leftover antibiotics should be taken to a pharmacy for disposal, and people should take up the vaccinations they are eligible for, UKHSA said.
The figures come from the English surveillance programme for antimicrobial utilisation and resistance, which tracks progress against the UK national action plan for 2024 to 2029. That plan cites an estimated 7,600 UK deaths directly from resistant infections in 2019.