Epidemiology of diabetes

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus, a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia, is a major contributor to morbidity and among the top 10 leading causes of death globally. The latest estimates show a global prevalence of 589 million adults with diabetes in 2024, with a projected rise to 853 million by 2050. This poses a substantial public health burden, placing unsustainable demands on affected individuals, carers, health systems and society. This burden is distributed unequally, with three-quarters of adults with diabetes living in low- and middle-income countries. Increasing diabetes prevalence is fuelled by population ageing together with rising levels of obesity and suboptimal health behaviours including poor-quality diets and physical inactivity; these are in turn promoted by wider societal determinants, including urbanization. The aetiological classification of diabetes mellitus includes two main types: 1 and 2. Type 2 diabetes accounts for >90% of the total diabetes mellitus prevalence. These common forms of diabetes can lead to multisystem complications: microvascular endpoints including retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and macrovascular endpoints (e.g. ischaemic heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease). The aetiology of type 1 diabetes is incompletely understood. The role of modifiable factors in the causation of type 2 diabetes makes prevention a realistic public health goal.