The number of adults with diabetes has more than quadrupled since 1990, and most of the people affected live in low- and middle-income countries, where many are never diagnosed or treated.
Updated October 14, 2026. Written from the sources listed below, not independently peer-reviewed.
Out of every 100 adults aged 30 or older who had diabetes in 2022, roughly how many were not taking any medication for it?
589 million
Adults aged 20–79 with diabetes
About one in nine adults; age-standardised prevalence of 11.1%. IDF modelled estimate, projected to reach about 853 million by 2050.
Data year 2024. Source: International Diabetes Federation, 2025
445 million
Adults aged 30+ with diabetes not receiving treatment
59% of all adults aged 30 or older with diabetes, 3.5 times the number in 1990. Modelled estimate from 1,108 population studies.
Data year 2022. Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2024
252 million
Adults aged 20–79 with undiagnosed diabetes
42.8% of adults with diabetes in this age group, down from an estimated 50% in 2011.
Data year 2024. Source: International Diabetes Federation, 2025
Unit: million people
* Projection, not a measurement. IDF Diabetes Atlas estimates; the 2050 value is a projection. The earlier figures come from earlier Atlas editions, whose methods differ, so the comparison is approximate. Part of the rise reflects population growth and ageing, but the age-standardised share of adults with diabetes also climbed, from 4.6% in 2000 to 11.1% in 2024.
SDG target 3.4 aims to cut premature deaths from noncommunicable diseases, including diabetes, by one third by 2030. WHO notes that while the risk of dying between 30 and 70 from the four main noncommunicable diseases fell by 20% between 2000 and 2019, death rates from diabetes have been rising since 2000. In 2022 the World Health Assembly endorsed five diabetes targets for 2030, starting with 80% of people with diabetes diagnosed and 80% of those diagnosed having good control of blood glucose and blood pressure. In 2022, 59% of adults aged 30 or older with diabetes were not taking medication for it.
In 2022, treatment coverage was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, and below 10% in some African countries. In South Korea, many high-income Western countries and some countries in Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, 55% or more of people with diabetes were treated.
Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2024India alone accounted for about 30% of the world's adults with untreated diabetes in 2022, an estimated 133 million people.
Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2024Between 1990 and 2022, the largest increases in diabetes prevalence were in low- and middle-income countries such as Pakistan, Malaysia, Egypt, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica.
Source: NCD Risk Factor Collaboration, 2024WHO reported in 2021 that one in two people who need insulin for type 2 diabetes do not get it, and that low- and middle-income countries carry 80% of the diabetes burden.
Source: World Health Organization, 2021Each country is shaded by its latest available value, so you can see where the gap is widest. Hover or tap a country, search for one, or open the full table.
Loading country values…
IDF Diabetes Atlas modelled estimates of the share of adults aged 20–79 with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, age-standardised so that countries with older or younger populations can be compared; all values currently refer to 2024, but the map shows the latest year available for each country. Where a country has no recent survey, IDF extrapolates from similar countries, so some values carry wide uncertainty. Because these are shares, populous countries such as India and China, which have the most people with diabetes, can look lighter than small Pacific island states.
Source: International Diabetes Federation, Diabetes Atlas, via World Bank Open Data. Latest year available per country; years differ.
Values load from World Bank Open Data. Simplified Natural Earth borders; they imply no position on disputed territories.
Instead of one “percent solved” score, DO GOOD rates three separate dimensions. A problem can have mature solutions that still reach too few people. These ratings are an editorial reading of the sources on this page, not a measured index.
Has the situation improved in the real world?
LowThe share of adults with diabetes doubled from 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022, and the number of people with untreated diabetes rose 3.5-fold. WHO reports that death rates from diabetes have been rising since 2000.
How mature and validated are the available solutions?
HighDiagnosis needs only a relatively inexpensive blood glucose test, and insulin, metformin and other low-cost medicines have been used for decades. What is missing is a way to prevent or cure type 1 diabetes, whose cause is still unknown.
How widely are effective solutions actually used?
LowIn 2022, 59% of adults aged 30 or older with diabetes were untreated, with coverage below 10% in some African countries, and in 2024 about 43% of adults with diabetes were undiagnosed.
The NCD-RisC estimates pool 1,108 population studies with 141 million participants, but 25 of 200 countries had no data and comparable information on treatment details is scarce. Most estimates measure whether people take medication, not whether their blood glucose is controlled.
Treatment coverage rose between 1990 and 2022 in 118 countries for women and 98 for men, but not in most of sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific islands. IDF projects that the number of adults with diabetes will grow to about 853 million by 2050.
Diabetes is a long-term condition in which the body either makes too little insulin (type 1) or cannot use insulin properly (type 2), so blood glucose stays too high. More than 95% of people with diabetes have type 2, to which being overweight, too little exercise and genetics all contribute, and which can often be prevented or delayed. Over years, high blood glucose damages blood vessels and nerves: it can cause vision loss, kidney failure, heart attacks and strokes, and foot ulcers that may lead to amputation. Type 1 diabetes, whose cause is still unknown, cannot be prevented, and people who have it need insulin every day to survive. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that 589 million adults aged 20–79 were living with diabetes in 2024, about one in nine, and that diabetes caused around 3.4 million deaths in that age group.
The rise has been fastest in low- and middle-income countries. Between 1990 and 2022 the share of adults with diabetes doubled from 7% to 14%, and the highest rates are now found in Pacific island nations, parts of the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, Pakistan and Malaysia. Treatment has not kept pace: in 2022, 59% of adults aged 30 or older with diabetes were not taking any medication for it, and coverage was lowest in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. About four in ten adults with diabetes do not know they have it. Health spending on diabetes passed US$1 trillion in 2024, and in many countries people pay for medicines out of their own pockets.
Global estimates come from blood tests in population surveys, not from clinic records, because many people with diabetes have never been diagnosed. Two main estimates are used, and they differ in age range and method:
Diagnostic thresholds
In the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) analysis, a person counts as having diabetes if their fasting plasma glucose is 7.0 mmol/L or higher, their HbA1c (a measure of average blood glucose over recent months) is 6.5% or higher, or they take medication for diabetes. Surveys usually test only once, while a clinical diagnosis normally needs confirmation.
Types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin production and needs daily insulin. Type 2 diabetes, where the body does not use insulin properly, accounts for more than 95% of cases. Diabetes first found in pregnancy, including gestational diabetes, is counted separately.
Two global estimates
NCD-RisC estimates about 828 million people aged 18 and over with diabetes in 2022, while the IDF Diabetes Atlas counts 589 million aged 20–79 in 2024. Both are modelled from surveys, and both also report age-standardised prevalence, which adjusts for countries' different age structures so that they can be compared.
Treatment coverage
The share of people with diabetes who take glucose-lowering medicines, by mouth or as insulin. It shows whether people are being treated, not whether their blood glucose is actually under control.
What works
WHO describes lifestyle change as the best way to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes: keeping a healthy weight, at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, a diet low in sugar and saturated fat, and not using tobacco.
Limits
Individual advice is hard to sustain where healthy food, safe places to exercise and time are scarce, and nothing is known to prevent type 1 diabetes.
What works
Type 2 diabetes can be detected early with relatively inexpensive blood glucose tests, and pregnant women can be screened for gestational diabetes during prenatal care. The share of adults with diabetes who are undiagnosed fell from an estimated 50% in 2011 to 42.8% in 2024.
Limits
Around 252 million adults aged 20–79 were still undiagnosed in 2024. Type 2 diabetes may cause only mild symptoms for years, so people rarely seek testing on their own.
What works
Many people with type 2 diabetes control blood glucose with oral medicines such as metformin, sulfonylureas or SGLT-2 inhibitors. Blood pressure medicines and statins are often added to lower the risk of heart and kidney complications.
Limits
445 million adults aged 30 or older with diabetes were not treated in 2022, and in some African countries fewer than one in ten people with diabetes received treatment.
What works
People with type 1 diabetes need insulin injections to survive, and some people with type 2 diabetes need it too. One of the five WHO targets for 2030 is that everyone with type 1 diabetes has access to affordable insulin and blood glucose self-monitoring.
Limits
WHO reported in 2021 that half of the people who need insulin for type 2 diabetes do not get it, and that three companies control more than 90% of the insulin market.
What works
Regular foot checks, eye examinations for retinopathy and kidney screening allow damage to be found and treated before it leads to amputation, blindness or kidney failure.
Limits
These checks need trained staff and equipment beyond basic primary care, and they only help people whose diabetes has already been diagnosed.
Promising, but not proven at scale. The stage shows how far each approach has come; it is not a recommendation.
In September 2025 WHO added the GLP-1 receptor agonists semaglutide, dulaglutide and liraglutide, and the dual-action medicine tirzepatide, to its Essential Medicines List for adults with type 2 diabetes who also have obesity and heart or kidney disease. They lower blood glucose, reduce weight and cut the risk of heart and kidney complications, but WHO says their high prices limit access and calls for generic competition.
Biosimilar insulins, comparable versions of existing products made by other companies, could cost more than 25% less than the originals, but in 2021 WHO found that many countries were not yet capturing those savings.
In September 2026, as part of the Global Diabetes Compact, WHO published a global mapping of insulin manufacturers together with proposed actions to make the sector more transparent. It is too early to say whether this will bring in new suppliers or lower prices for countries that now depend on a few large companies.
Implementation gap
An estimated 252 million adults aged 20–79, 42.8% of those with diabetes, did not know they had it in 2024. Without testing, people often learn they have diabetes only once complications appear.
Implementation gap
In 2022, 59% of adults aged 30 or older with diabetes were untreated. Coverage did not increase in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific islands and South, Southeast and Central Asia, where primary care is often stretched.
Coordination gap
Three multinational companies controlled more than 90% of the insulin market in 2021, making it hard for other producers to compete. Low- and middle-income countries, home to about three quarters of people with type 2 diabetes, accounted for less than 40% of insulin revenue.
Coordination gap
WHO says that high prices of newer medicines such as semaglutide and tirzepatide limit access, and that medicines make up a large share of what people pay out of their own pockets for noncommunicable diseases.
Technology gap
The cause of type 1 diabetes is unknown and there is no way to prevent it, so the 9 million or so people living with it depend on lifelong insulin.
Knowledge gap
In the largest global analysis, 25 of 200 countries had no population data at all, and comparable information on what treatment people receive was insufficient. Few countries track whether treated people actually reach good control of blood glucose and blood pressure, which the 2030 targets require.
Unresolved questions, not vetted breakthroughs. Answering any of them would change what is possible.
Between 1990 and 2022, diabetes prevalence surged in countries such as Pakistan and Egypt but stayed flat or fell in others. How much of this is driven by diet, body weight, urbanisation or genetics, and which policies slow the rise?
What triggers the immune process that destroys insulin-producing cells, and could people at high risk be identified early enough to delay or prevent the disease?
GLP-1-based medicines are effective but expensive. In health systems with limited budgets, which patients gain most from them, and could generic versions make them affordable in primary care?
Most global data show only whether people take medication. What practical and affordable ways are there to track how many people actually reach good blood glucose and blood pressure control in every country?
Type 2 diabetes can go unnoticed for years. Regular check-ups with a blood test are the best way to find it early, especially if you are overweight, get little exercise, have close relatives with diabetes or had diabetes during pregnancy.
At least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, a diet with less sugar and saturated fat, and not smoking all reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes and its complications.
Learn the warning signs of very high or very low blood glucose, and avoid blaming language: type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, and type 2 has many causes beyond personal choices.
Organisations that supply insulin and testing equipment to children and young people with type 1 diabetes in low-income settings, or that strengthen primary care, depend on donations. Check that they publish results and costs before you give.
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NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), The Lancet 404: 2077–93, published 2024
Open-access (CC BY 4.0) publisher PDF of the Lancet article published on World Diabetes Day 2024, hosted by the University of Florence repository because the Lancet site could not be fetched. Source of the 828 million adults with diabetes in 2022, the diagnostic definition, 445 million untreated adults aged 30+ (59%, 3.5 times 1990), India's 30% share of untreated people, country patterns of prevalence and treatment coverage, the number of countries with rising coverage, and data gaps (25 of 200 countries without data).
International Diabetes Federation, published 2025
Global data page of the 11th edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas (April 2025), with estimates for 2024 and projections for 2050. Source of the 589 million adults aged 20–79 with diabetes, the trend from 2000 to 2050, age-standardised prevalence, undiagnosed diabetes (42.8%, 252 million), 3.4 million deaths, health expenditure, type 1 diabetes (9.1 million people, 1.8 million under 20) and births affected by hyperglycaemia in pregnancy.
World Health Organization (14 November 2024), published 2024
WHO's current overview of diabetes. Source of the definitions of type 1 and type 2 diabetes, the share of type 2 (over 95%), the rise in prevalence from 7% to 14% (1990–2022), the 59% of adults aged 30+ not taking medication, complications, prevention advice, diagnosis and treatment options, rising diabetes mortality since 2000 and the 20% fall in premature NCD mortality, and WHO's 2021–2022 resolutions and targets.
World Health Organization, published 2026
WHO initiative page listing the five global diabetes coverage targets for 2030 endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2022, and linking to the September 2026 global mapping of insulin manufacturers.
World Health Organization (news release, 12 November 2021), published 2021
Summary of WHO's 2021 report on insulin access. Source of the finding that one in two people needing insulin for type 2 diabetes do not get it, the 80% share of the diabetes burden in low- and middle-income countries, market concentration (three companies, over 90%), the price of analogue versus human insulin, and potential savings from biosimilars.
World Health Organization (news release, 5 September 2025), published 2025
Announcement of the 2025 WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines. Source of the addition of GLP-1 receptor agonists and tirzepatide for adults with type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular or kidney disease and obesity, their benefits, WHO's concern about high prices, and the statement on out-of-pocket spending on medicines.