More than 800 million people around the world have diabetes, study finds

The number of people with diabetes has doubled over the past 30 years to more than 800 million worldwide, according to a groundbreaking international study.

Global analysis published in the Lancet found that rates of diabetes in adults doubled from about 7% to about 14% between 1990 to 2022, with the largest increase in low and middle-income countries.

The study is the first global analysis of diabetes rates and treatment in all countries. Scientists at NCD-RisC in collaboration with the World Health Organization used data from more than 140 million people aged 18 or older from more than 1,000 studies in different countries. They applied statistical tools to enable accurate comparisons of prevalence and treatment between countries and regions.

The study highlighted growing health inequalities. More than half of global diabetes cases were concentrated in four countries. Of those with diabetes in 2022, more than a quarter (212 million) lived in India, 148 million were in China, 42 million were in the US and 36 million in Pakistan. Indonesia and Brazil accounted for a further 25 million and 22 million cases, respectively.

Dr Ranjit Mohan Anjana, the joint first author and president of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation in India, said: “Given the disabling and potentially fatal consequences of diabetes, preventing diabetes through healthy diet and exercise is essential for better health throughout the world.

“Our findings highlight the need to see more ambitious policies, especially in lower-income regions of the world, that restrict unhealthy foods, make healthy foods affordable and improve opportunities to exercise, through measures such as subsidies for healthy foods and free healthy school meals as well as promoting safe places for walking and exercising including free entrance to public parks and fitness centres.”

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Source: The Guardian, 13 November 2024