Diabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 380 million by 2025.
In 2007, the five countries with the largest numbers of people with diabetes are India (40.9 million), China (39.8 million), the United States (19.2 million), Russia (9.6 million) and Germany (7.4 million).
In 2007, the five countries with the highest diabetes prevalence in the adult population are Nauru (30.7%), United Arab Emirates (19.5%), Saudi Arabia (16.7%), Bahrain(15.2%), and Kuwait (14.4%).
By 2025, the largest increases in diabetes prevalence will take place in developing countries.
Each year a further 7 million people develop diabetes.
Each year 3.8 million deaths are attributable to diabetes. Every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes.
Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of global death by disease.
At least 50% of all people with diabetes are unaware of their condition. In some countries this figure may reach 80%.
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment in adults in developed countries.
Diabetes is the most common cause of amputation which is not the result of an accident, and is responsible for over one million amputations each year. People with diabetes are 15 to 40 times more likely to require a lower-limb amputation compared to the general population. Every thirty seconds a leg is lost to diabetes somewhere in the world.
People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease (CVD) than people without diabetes. Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in industrialized countries. It is also set to overtake infectious diseases as the most common cause of death in many parts of the developing world. For each risk factor present, the risk of cardiovascular death is about three times greater in people with diabetes as compared to people without the condition.
The devastating complications of diabetes, such as blindness, kidney failure and heart disease, are imposing a huge burden on healthcare services. It is estimated that diabetes accounts for between 5% and 10% of a nation's health budget.
The human and economic costs of diabetes could be significantly reduced by investing in prevention, particularly early detection, in order to avoid the onset of diabetic complications.
There is conclusive evidence that good control of blood glucose levels can substantially reduce the risk of developing complications and slow their progression in all types of diabetes. The management of high blood pressure and raised blood lipids (fats) is equally important. In all societies, better control of these parameters would contribute to a substantial improvement of quality of life.
An estimated 25% of the world's nations have not made any specific provision for diabetes care in national health plans.
