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Objective: To investigate the infection status, demography and clinical characteristics of syphilis in inpatients. Methods: Serological data of inpatients with syphilis from January 2012 to December 2018 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Out of a total of 179 313 cases, 712 cases (0.41%) were both TPPA and RPR positive. The positive rates of syphilis in males and females were 0.47% and 0.33%, respectively, with a male-to-female ratio of 1.42 ∶1. Twenty nine cases of congenital syphilis were manifested by premature birth, hepatosplenomegaly, copper-red maculae around mouth and buttock, and pathologic jaundice, while 42 cases with dominant syphilis were manifested with erythema, chancroid, hyperpigmentation, moth-eaten alopecia, etc. In contrast, 641 cases of latent syphilis were without noticeable clinical symptoms and signs.The positive rate of syphilis was higher in subjects aged ≥50 years than in other age groups. Moreover, higher positive rates were found in patients at departments of dermatology, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology than at departments of internal medicine and pediatrics. Largest portion of aged patients were farmers, followed by workers. Conclusion: Latent syphilis is common in inpatients, and early screening is particularly important for the treatment and prevention of syphilis transmission.