Key Points

• Between 1999 and 2020, the annual number of listeriosis cases ranged from 188 to 414, with annual incidence rates between 3.1 and 6.2 cases per million inhabitants. Since 2021, the annual number of cases and the incidence of listeriosis have been steadily increasing: in 2024, 619 cases were reported, for an incidence of 9 cases per million inhabitants. This upward trend is observed in many other European countries.

• The increase primarily concerns bacteremic forms and, to a lesser extent, other non-maternal-neonatal invasive forms. The annual number of listeriosis cases during pregnancy tends to remain stable, with fewer than 50 cases each year over the past two decades.

• The incidence of listeriosis increases significantly with age: 87 per million people among those over 90 years old in 2024, 57 per million people among those aged 80 to 89, compared to 2.3 per million people among those under 60. In 2024, 45% of cases were female. The median age was 76 years (range 2–99 years), and nearly 9 out of 10 had at least one comorbidity.

• The observed trends appear to be primarily linked to population aging and the increase in age-related chronic diseases that predispose individuals to listeriosis. For those most at risk—the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and pregnant women—the risk of developing listeriosis can be reduced by adhering to good food hygiene practices.