Mpox: affected countries
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-01)

This page provides an overview of mpox epidemiology, indicating where there may be a risk of clade I and clade II mpox exposure.

Global overview

There are 2 major genetic groups (clades) of the mpox virus (MPXV), clade I (formerly known as Central African or Congo basin clade) and clade II (formerly known as West African clade). Clade I is split into clade Ia and clade Ib. Clade II is split into clade IIa and clade IIb, and all clades have subgroup clusters called lineages. The majority of the cases seen in the global outbreak which started in 2022 were from clade IIb, lineage B.1. The latest epidemiological data on mpox (all clades) can be found on the World Health Organization (WHO) mpox surveillance dashboard (https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/).

Figure 1. Geographic distribution of MPXV clades, by country, as reported on 28 November 2025

Adapted from the WHO’s Global Mpox Trends dashboard (https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/#reporting-summary).

The map is not indicative of ongoing outbreaks and is generated from available laboratory data associated with both travel-associated and locally acquired cases.

Table 1. Countries reporting the highest number of recent mpox cases (all clades)

Adapted from the WHO’s Global Mpox Trends dashboard section 5.2 (https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/#reporting-summary). Dashboard updated November 2025 with data up to 31 October 2025. Date accessed: 28 November 2025.

Clade I mpox outbreak: 2024 to 2025

Between 14 August 2024 and 5 September 2025, the WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in response to the upsurge of clade I mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a growing number of countries in the African Region. Although the outbreak no longer constitutes a PHEIC, the outbreak remains ongoing, with evidence of sustained community transmission in several countries, as per Table 2.

Figure 2. African region countries reporting laboratory confirmed clade I mpox (historic or current)

Travel-associated clade I mpox cases outside the African Region have been reported in several countries. Limited local transmission (for example, household transmission) has been reported in Australia (https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/#imported-cases-and-clusters-of-clade-i-mpxv), Belgium (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/communicable-disease-threats-report-week-2-2025.pdf), China (https://www.chinacdc.cn/jksj/jksj01/202501/t20250109_303772.html), France (https://sante.gouv.fr/actualites/presse/communiques-de-presse/article/face-au-premier-cas-de-mpox-de-clade-i-b-identifie-en-france-les-autorites), Germany (https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/communicable-disease-threats-report-week-3-2025_0.pdf), Qatar (https://worldhealthorg.shinyapps.io/mpx_global/#imported-cases-and-clusters-of-clade-i-mpxv), Republic of Ireland (https://beaconbio.org/en/report/?reportid=c01387c1-6e17-4ee5-914d-90b99733436c&eventid=ea8ecf9d-1185-4eed-9fb4-1577f4a74cf7&pathogens=16eb05a8-610e-4b1e-a63a-5c75302deb33) and the United Kingdom (https://www.gov.uk/guidance/confirmed-cases-of-mpox-clade-ib-in-united-kingdom). In October 2025, community transmission of clade I mpox was reported in several European countries and the USA for the first time. The WHO defines community transmission as at least one reported case with no epidemiological link to travel or contact with a traveler from a country with known mpox transmission.

Table 2. Countries with evidence of ongoing clade I mpox transmission or exportation during the 2024 to 2025 outbreak