Diabetes Facts

Rising Prevalence of Diabetes

An estimated 366 million people, corresponding to 8.3% of the world's adult population, lived with diabetes in 2011. The number is expected to grow to 552 million by 2030, corresponding to 7.8% of the adult population¹

While the global prevalence of diabetes is 8.3%, the prevalence varies from 10.7% in North America and the Caribbean to 4.5% in the African region.¹ However, the African region is expected to experience the highest increase¹

80% of the current cases of diabetes occur in low- and middle income countries.⁴ With an estimated 90 million people living with diabetes, China has the world's largest diabetes population, followed by India with 61.3 million¹

Diabetes is one of the major causes of premature illness and death worldwide.² Non-communicable diseases including diabetes account for 60% of all deaths worldwide³

The largest age group currently affected by diabetes is between 40-59 years¹

Bringing long term glucose levels down by a single point reduces the risk of blindness and kidney failure by 37%⁴

Diabetes Diagnosis and Treatment

Many people in developing countries with type 1 diabetes die before they are diagnosed or soon after diagnosis due to inadequate access to diabetes treatment⁵

In developing countries, less than half of people with diabetes are diagnosed. Without timely diagnoses and adequate treatment, complications and morbidity from diabetes rise exponentially⁶

Type 2 diabetes can remain undetected for many years and the diagnosis is often made from associated complications¹

The number of deaths attributable to diabetes in 2011 was approximately 4.6 million, equivalent to one death every seven seconds. The highest number of deaths due to diabetes is in India, China, United States of America, and the Russian Federation¹

Type 2 diabetes is responsible for 85-95% of all diabetes in high-income countries and may account for an even higher percentage in low- and middle-income countries¹

Up to 60% or more of type 2 diabetes is preventable by changing diet, increasing physical activity, and improving the living environment. Yet, without effective prevention and control programmes, the incidence of diabetes is likely to continue rising globally⁷

Insulin is vital for the survival of people with type 1 diabetes and often ultimately required by people with type 2 diabetes. Even though insulin's indispensible nature is recognised by its inclusion in the WHO's Essential Medicines List, insulin is still not available on an uninterrupted basis in many parts of the developing world⁸

In the Africa region, 78% of people with diabetes are undiagnosed¹

Bringing long term glucose levels down by a single point reduces the risk of amputations by 43%⁹

A person requiring insulin for survival in Mozambique will live an average of 12 months⁸

A person requiring insulin for survival in Zambia will live an average of 11 years⁸

A person requiring insulin for survival in Mali will live an average of 30 months⁸

Diabetes Costs – A Burden for Families and Society

The financial burden borne by people with diabetes and their families as a result of their disease depends on their economic status and the social insurance policies of their countries. In the poorest countries, people with diabetes and their families bear almost the whole cost of the medical care they can afford¹

In Latin America, families pay 40-60% of medical care expenditures from their own pockets. In Mozambique, diabetes care for one person requires 75% of the per capita income, in Mali it amounts to 61%, Vietnam is 51%, and Zambia 21%^1,9

Estimated global healthcare expenditures to treat diabetes and prevent complications totaled at least US dollars (USD) 465 billion in 2011. By 2030, this number is projected to exceed some USD 595 billion. An estimated average of USD 1,274 per person with diabetes was spent globally on treating and managing the disease in 2011

Besides excess healthcare expenditure, diabetes also imposes large economic burdens in the form of lost productivity and foregone economic growth. The largest economic burden is the monetary value associated with disability and loss of life as a result of the disease itself and its related complications¹⁰

The World Health Organization (WHO) predicted net losses in national income from diabetes and cardiovascular disease of International Dollars (ID) 557.7 billion in China, ID 303.2 billion in the Russian Federation, ID 336.6 billion in India, ID 49.2 billion in Brazil, and ID 2.5 billion in Tanzania (2005 ID), between 2005 and 2015. International Dollars (ID) correct for differences in purchasing power¹⁰

80% of people in developing countries pay directly for some or all of their own diabetes medication¹⁰

Diabetes and Changes in Society

More than 50 countries worldwide have a formalised "National Diabetes Programme"¹¹

From  changingdiabetesbarometer.com