The European Helicobacter Study Group established a yearly workshop that has been held from 1988 to 2007. The analysis of the data from these workshops shows that 7246 abstracts were presented originating from 76 different countries. The distribution according to specific years follows a Gauss-type curve with a peak in the mid-1990s. The presenters were mainly from Europe, but an increasing number coming from non-European countries was observed throughout the years. The evolution of the topics selected also evolved but was relatively stable these last 10 years. Some landmarks have been highlighted. These data constitute an important source of information with regard to the evolution of Helicobacter pylori research over these 20 years.