Key takeaways

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases worldwide (more than 800 million cases) and in the U.S. (more than 38 million cases).
The prevalence of diabetes has increased significantly over the past two decades, both worldwide and in the U.S. Research suggests that diabetes prevalence will continue to increase at least through 2050.
Diabetes has higher rates of prevalence among middle-aged and older adults—as well as non-white Americans—in the U.S.
Diabetes presents a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, kidney issues, vision problems, lower extremity amputation, emergency room visits, and hospitalization.
Exercise, dietary changes, and medication can prevent or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes.

In this article:

What is diabetes?
How common is diabetes?
Diabetes statistics in the U.S.
Diabetes stats by type
Diabetes stats by age
Race and ethnicity diabetes stats
Common complications
Cost
Prevention
FAQs

In this article

What is diabetes?
How common is diabetes?
Diabetes statistics in the U.S.
Diabetes stats by type
Diabetes stats by age
Race and ethnicity diabetes stats
Common complications
Cost
Prevention
FAQs

Diabetes is a collection of diseases characterized by elevated blood glucose. There are multiple types of diabetes, but each involves the body’s inability to use glucose for energy. Unfortunately, diabetes is increasingly prevalent in the U.S. and around the world. Read on for worldwide and U.S. diabetes stats and facts.

What is diabetes?

Glucose is an essential part of our everyday functions. Our bodies use it for energy, which requires a hormone called insulin, produced by the pancreas. Insulin is like a taxi for blood sugar—it takes glucose from the blood and directs it to our cells, which finish the job by converting it to energy. When someone has diabetes, their body cannot produce or use enough insulin, which leaves more glucose in their bloodstream.

How common is diabetes?

Diabetes is one of the world’s fastest-growing chronic diseases. Here’s a look at just how widespread it is:

Worldwide, the number of people with diabetes has more than quadrupled since 1990, now surpassing 800 million. (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024)
Nearly 450 million adults over 30 with diabetes remain untreated—3.5 times more than in 1990 (World Health Organization [WHO], 2024)
By 2050, it’s projected that more than 1.3 billion people around the world will have diabetes (The Lancet, 2023)

Diabetes statistics in the U.S.

Around 14.7% of U.S. adults have diabetes. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024)
Approximately 38.4 million U.S. adults and children have diabetes, including 29.7 million diagnosed and 8.7 million undiagnosed cases. (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2023)
There are 1.2 million new cases of diabetes in U.S. adults each year—approximately 5.9 per 1,000 people. (CDC, 2024)

Diabetes statistics by state

The states with the highest percentage of adults who have ever had diabetes are:

West Virginia (18.2%)
Mississippi (17%)
Louisiana (16.1%)
Alabama (15.7%)
South Carolina (14.9%)
Arkansas (14.5%)
Tennessee (14.5%)
Delaware (13.3%)
Indiana (13.2%)
Ohio (13.2%)
Georgia (12.7%)
Texas (12.7%)

The states with the lowest percentage of adults who have ever had diabetes are:

District of Columbia (7.4%)
Utah (7.8%)
Colorado (8.6%)
Alaska (8.7%)
Vermont (9.3%)
Montana (9.4%)
North Dakota (9.5%)
Washington (9.6%)
New Hampshire (9.8%)
Massachusetts (9.8%)
Idaho (9.8%)
Connecticut (9.9%)

(Statista, 2023)
*Data for Kentucky and Pennsylvania was not available for this study

Diabetes statistics by type

There are four types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune attack on pancreas cells stops them from creating insulin, so people with Type 1 need to take insulin shots every day. In most cases, Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in children and teens, but it can manifest in adults as well.
Type 2 diabetes: People with Type 2 can produce insulin, but their bodies can’t use it well. When blood sugar is consistently high, the pancreas continuously pumps out insulin, and eventually, cells become overexposed. Type 2 is by far the most common type of diabetes and one that typically develops in adults; however, the rate of Type 2 diabetes in children is increasing.
Gestational diabetes: This type only occurs in pregnant women and typically goes away after childbirth; however, half of women who have gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. Treatment includes a doctor-recommended exercise and meal plan. Sometimes, daily blood glucose tests and insulin injections are necessary.
Prediabetes: Prediabetes isn’t technically diabetes. It’s more like a precursor. A prediabetic person’s blood glucose is consistently above average but not high enough to warrant a full diabetes diagnosis. People with prediabetes can help prevent Type 2 diabetes by implementing a healthy diet, increased physical activity, and stress management.

Here’s how prevalent each type of diabetes is:

Approximately 304,000 U.S. children and 1.7 million U.S. adults over 20 years old have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes (CDC, 2024)
In the U.S., 21,000 children under 20 years old and 42,000 adults over 20 years old were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 2024. (Breakthrough T1D, 2024)
Approximately 90% to 95% of all U.S. diabetes cases are Type 2. (CDC, 2024)
Around 5–9% of pregnant U.S. women develop gestational diabetes each year. (CDC, 2024)
An estimated 97.6 million Americans aged 18 years or older have prediabetes, around 38% of the adult population. (CDC, 2024)

Diabetes statistics by age

There are greater diabetes rates among older age groups, especially for Type 2 diabetes, which takes longer to develop.

Diabetes prevalence among all U.S. adults above age 18:
- Ages 18–44: 2.4%
- Ages 45–64: 12.5%
- Ages 65–74: 19.5%
- Ages 75+: 20.6%
  (KFF, 2022)
There are 352,000 cases of diagnosed diabetes among children and adolescents younger than 20, including 304,000 cases of Type 1 diabetes. (CDC, 2024)
In 2021, the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 2.2% for adults ages 18-44, 3.8% for ages 45–64, and 2.7% for ages 65+. (CDC, 2024)
Of the nearly 98 million Americans who have prediabetes, 32.8 million are ages 18–44, 37.5 million are ages 45–64, and 27.2 million are 65 or older. (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases [NIDDK], 2024)

Diabetes statistics by race and ethnicity

Diabetes prevalence also varies between different racial and ethnic groups. Here’s how the percentage of diagnosed diabetes breaks down in the U.S.:

American Indian/Alaska Native adults: 13.6%
Non-Hispanic Black adults: 12.1%
Hispanic adults: 11.7%
Asian adults: 9.1%
Non-Hispanic white adults: 6.9%

(ADA, 2023)

And the number of adults with diagnosed prediabetes is as follows:

Non-Hispanic whites: 61.8 million
Hispanics: 15 million
Non-Hispanic Blacks: 12.3 million
Asian Americans: 5.8 million

(CDC, 2024)

Common diabetes complications

Many people with diabetes can still do all of their favorite activities as long as they maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, “living with diabetes is a daily challenge,” says Sharita E. Warfield, MD, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and the founder and CEO of Warfield Medical Group, PLLC.

Those who decide to make changes have to ask questions like, “Is it too many carbs continually? Does it have added sugar? Am I getting enough fiber?” Then, “they have to figure out how to add in physical activity, ways to destress, and how to avoid toxic substances like drugs or alcohol or sugary substances. Not only that, but a person living with diabetes also has to remember to take their insulin, oral pills, or both, and check their blood sugar levels daily.”

It might seem like a lot of work, but the alternatives are sobering. Diabetes can cause serious health problems, such as:

Diabetes directly caused 103,294 deaths in 2021, making it the eighth leading cause of death in the U.S. Diabetes was listed as a contributing cause in nearly 400,000 deaths. (ADA, 2023)
People who have Type 2 diabetes have a 1.5–2 times greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease. (Nature, 2024)
There were 16.8 million diabetes-related emergency room visits in 2020 among adults aged 18 years or older. (CDC, 2024)
There were 7.86 million hospital discharges with diabetes reported among the diagnoses. Of these discharges, 1.68 million also listed a major cardiovascular disease, including 368,000 with ischemic heart disease and 321,000 with stroke. (CDC, 2024)
Among U.S. adults aged 18 years or older with diagnosed diabetes, an estimated 39.2% also had chronic kidney disease. (CDC, 2024)
Approximately 1 in 4 Americans aged 40+ who have diabetes also have diabetic retinopathy (long-term damage to retinal blood vessels). (JAMA Ophthalmology, 2023)
Around 154,000 undergo diabetes-related foot amputations each year (ADA, 2022)
African Americans are four times more likely than whites to have a diabetes-related amputation, while Latinx communities are 50% more likely, and indigenous communities are two times more likely. (ADA, 2022)

The cost of diabetes

The total annual cost of diabetes in 2022 was around $412.9 billion. (ADA, 2023)
Healthcare costs for people with diabetes accounts for 25% of the money spent on healthcare in the U.S. (Diabetes Care, 2024)
People with diabetes have average annual medical expenses of $19,736, including $12,022 spent directly for diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2024)
On average, people who have diabetes spend 2.6 times more on medical expenses than people who don’t have diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2024)

Diabetes prevention

Type 2 diabetes is widespread, but the good news is that it can be preventable (and prediabetes can be reversed). The best way to keep it at bay is with a well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and sometimes medications.

People who lost 5% to 7% body weight and exercised 150 minutes per week decreased their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by up to 58%, and up to 71% for people older than 60. (National Diabetes Prevention Program, 2021)
Losing more than 10% of body weight can improve high blood sugar and potentially lead to diabetes remission. (Diabetes Care, 2023)
Adhering to the NIDDK Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), lifestyle changes and medication can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes for 15 years or more. (NIDDK, 2021)
Diabetic women who exercised at least four hours a week had a 40% lower risk of developing heart disease than those who didn’t exercise. (Harvard Health, 2023)

Some risk factors are unavoidable, but others aren’t. Committing to healthy habits will help head off most of them. On an individual basis, “people can prevent or prolong the onset of prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and implementing 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate physical activity,” says Dr. Warfield. “Adopting these behavior changes early in life helps improve the quality of life and prevent the onset of prediabetes, which eventually leads to Type 2 diabetes if nothing is done.”

Diabetes questions and answers

How many people have diabetes?

According to the World Health Organization, more than 800 million people worldwide have diabetes. The U.S. accounts for 38.4 million of those cases, says the CDC.

What population has the highest rate of diabetes?

In the U.S., middle-aged and older adults (ages 45 and older) have a higher rate of diabetes. American Indians/Alaska Natives have the highest diabetes prevalence at 13.6%, according to the ADA.

Is the incidence of diabetes increasing?

Globally, the number of people who have diabetes has quadrupled since 1990, says the World Health Organization, and research published in The Lancet predicts that number could surpass 1.3 billion by 2050.

What are some juvenile diabetes statistics?

More commonly known as Type 1 diabetes, juvenile diabetes is typically diagnosed in children and is managed by daily insulin shots. Type 1 diabetes is a lifetime condition. Around 304,000 U.S. children under age 20 have Type 1 diabetes, as well as 1.7 million adults.

What percent of people affected by diabetes have Type 2 diabetes?

The majority (90% to 95%) of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes.

How do people die from diabetes?

People rarely die from high blood sugar directly. However, high blood sugar over time can lead to complications with other organs. For example, high blood sugar can damage the kidneys over a long period of time, leading to potential kidney failure. And since diabetes is often associated with cardiovascular conditions, heart failure and stroke are other common causes of death in diabetics. In uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes, a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (very high blood glucose levels) can cause sudden death.

How many deaths are caused by diabetes each year? How many Americans die from diabetes annually?

In 2021, WHO said diabetes directly caused 1.6 million deaths worldwide and 103,294 deaths in the U.S. That makes it the eighth leading cause of death for Americans, according to data from the CDC.

How many people are predicted to have diabetes in the future?

Research predicts that more than 1.3 billion people will have diabetes by 2050.

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Diabetes statistics 2025