It has been announced that the number of adults living with diabetes exceeds 800 million worldwide, more than quadrupling since 1990. New data published in The Lancet On World Diabetes Day. This analysis, conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights the scale of the diabetes epidemic and the need to address both rising disease rates and scaling up treatment. It highlights the urgent need for stronger global action. Inequality, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “The past 30 years have seen an alarming rise in diabetes, which reflects rising obesity rates and is exacerbated by the effects of unhealthy food marketing, lack of physical activity and economic hardship.” ” Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “We can reduce the global diabetes epidemic by enacting policies that support healthy diets, physical activity, and, most importantly, health systems that provide prevention, early detection, and treatment. Therefore, all countries must take immediate action.”
The study reports that the global prevalence of diabetes among adults rose from 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022. LMICs have experienced the largest increases, with diabetes rates soaring while access to treatment remains low. This trend is leading to severe global inequality. By 2022, about 450 million adults aged 30 and older, or about 59% of all people with diabetes, will remain untreated, a 3.5-fold increase in the number of untreated people since 1990. 90% of them remain untreated. Untreated adults live in LMICs.
The study also found that there are large differences in diabetes prevalence worldwide, with the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 18 and over in the WHO South East Asia and Eastern Mediterranean region being around 20%. These two regions, together with the African region, have the lowest rates of diabetes treatment coverage, with less than four in 10 adults with diabetes taking hypoglycemic drugs for their diabetes.
WHO’s approach to global diabetes control
To address the rapidly increasing burden of diabetes, WHO today launches a new global surveillance framework for diabetes. This product is an important step in the global response, providing countries with comprehensive guidance in measuring and evaluating diabetes prevention, care, outcomes, and impact. By tracking key indicators such as glycemic control, hypertension, and access to essential medicines, countries can improve targeted interventions and policy efforts. This standardized approach will allow countries to effectively prioritize resources and facilitate significant improvements in diabetes prevention and care.
The WHO Global Diabetes Compact, launched in 2021, aims to reduce the risk of diabetes and ensure that all people diagnosed with diabetes have access to quality treatment and care that is fair, comprehensive and affordable. It incorporates a vision to become The work undertaken as part of the Compact also supports the prevention of type 2 diabetes caused by obesity, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. Also in the same year, the World Health Assembly approved the Diabetes Resolution, calling on Member States to prioritize the prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes, as well as the prevention and control of risk factors such as obesity.
In 2022, WHO set five global diabetes coverage targets to be achieved by 2030. One of these goals is to ensure that 80% of people diagnosed with diabetes achieve good glycemic control. Today’s announcement underscores the scale and urgency of action needed to advance efforts to close the gap.
The coming year 2025 will see an important opportunity to drive action against the alarming rise in diabetes worldwide, with the Fourth United Nations General Assembly High-Level Conference on the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) to be held in September. It’s an opportunity. The conference brings together state and government leaders to set a strong vision for the prevention and control of NCDs, including diabetes, through a collaborative effort to address root causes and improve access to detection and treatment. By coordinating efforts towards the 2030 and 2050 goals, this high-level meeting marks a pivotal moment in strengthening global health systems, including primary health care, and halting the diabetes epidemic. It will be.
Notes for editors
The research published today was conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), a global network of more than 1,500 researchers and experts, in collaboration with WHO. It analyzes trends in both diabetes prevalence and treatment coverage globally, based on data from more than 140 million people aged 18 and older included in more than 1,000 studies covering populations in all countries. This is the first time that it has been analyzed. This study used updated methodologies to measure diabetes prevalence in populations from previous studies to provide a more accurate overview of the global diabetes epidemic.
