Epidemiology of diabetes mellitus

[[File:Diabetes world map - 2000.svg|thumb|Prevalence (per 1,000 inhabitants) of diabetes worldwide in 2000 - world average was 2.8%.

{{legend|#b3b3b3|no data}} {{legend|#ffff65|≤ 7.5}} {{legend|#fff200|7.5–15}} {{legend|#ffdc00|15–22.5}} {{legend|#ffc600|22.5–30}} {{legend|#ffb000|30–37.5}} {{legend|#ff9a00|37.5–45}}

{{legend|#ff8400|45–52.5}} {{legend|#ff6e00|52.5–60}} {{legend|#ff5800|60–67.5}} {{legend|#ff4200|67.5–75}} {{legend|#ff2c00|75–82.5}} {{legend|#cb0000|≥ 82.5}} ]]

Diabetes mellitus world map - DALY - WHO2004.svg for diabetes mellitus per 100,000 inhabitants in 2004

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{{legend|#ff8400|600–700}} {{legend|#ff6e00|700–800}} {{legend|#ff5800|800–900}} {{legend|#ff4200|900–1,000}} {{legend|#ff2c00|1,000–1,500}} {{legend|#cb0000|>1,500}} ]]

Globally,, an estimated 285 million people had diabetes, with type 2 making up about 90% of the cases. In 2013, according to International Diabetes Federation, an estimated 381 million people had diabetes. Its incidence is increasing rapidly, and by 2030, this number is estimated to almost double. Diabetes mellitus occurs throughout the world, but is more common (especially type 2) in the more developed countries. The greatest increase in prevalence is, however, expected to occur in Asia and Africa, where most patients will probably be found by 2030. The increase in incidence in developing countries follows the trend of urbanization and lifestyle changes, perhaps most importantly a "Western-style" diet. This has suggested an environmental (i.e., dietary) effect, but there is little understanding of the mechanism(s) at present, though there is much speculation, some of it most compellingly presented.

Australia
Indigenous populations in first world countries have a higher prevalence and increasing incidence of diabetes than their corresponding nonindigenous populations. In Australia, the age-standardised prevalence of self-reported diabetes in indigenous Australians is almost four times that of nonindigenous Australians. Preventative community health programs are showing some success in tackling this problem.

China
Almost one Chinese adult in ten has diabetes. A 2010 study estimated that more than 92 million Chinese adults have the disease, with another 150 million showing early symptoms. The incidence of the disease is increasing rapidly; a 2009 study found a 30% increase in 7 years.

India
India has more diabetics than any other country in the world, according to the International Diabetes Foundation, although more recent data suggest that China has even more. The disease affects more than 62 million Indians, which is more than 7.1% of India's Adult Population. An estimate shows that nearly 1 million Indians die due to Diabetes every year. The average age on onset is 42.5 years. The high incidence is attributed to a combination of genetic susceptibility plus adoption of a high-calorie, low-activity lifestyle by India's growing middle class.

United Kingdom
About 3.8 million people in the United Kingdom have diabetes mellitus, but the charity Diabetes U.K. have made predictions that that could become high as 6.2 million by 2035/2036. Diabetes U.K. have also predicted that the National Health Service could be spending as much as 16.9 billion pounds on diabetes mellitus by 2035, a figure that means the NHS could be spending as much as 17% of its budget on diabetes treatment by 2035.

United States
For at least 20 years, diabetes rates in North America have been increasing substantially. In 2010, nearly 26 million people had diabetes in the United States, of whom 7 million people remain undiagnosed. Another 57 million people are estimated to have prediabetes. There were approximately 12.1 million diabetes-related ED visits in 2010 for adults aged 18 years or older (515 per 10,000 U.S. population), accounting for 9.4 percent of all ED visits.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has termed the change an epidemic. The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse estimates diabetes costs $132 billion in the United States alone every year. About 5%–10% of diabetes cases in North America are type 1, with the rest being type 2. The fraction of type 1 in other parts of the world differs. Most of this difference is not currently understood. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) cites the 2003 assessment of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that one in three Americans born after 2000 will develop diabetes in their lifetimes.

According to the ADA, about 18.3% (8.6 million) of Americans age 60 and older have diabetes. Diabetes mellitus prevalence increases with age, and the numbers of older persons with diabetes are expected to grow as the elderly population increases in number. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) demonstrated, in the population over 65 years old, 18% to 20% have diabetes, with 40% having either diabetes or its precursor form of impaired glucose tolerance. Older individuals are also more likely to be seen in the emergency department (ED) for diabetes. A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found that in 2010, diabetes-related ED visit rates were highest for patients aged 65 and older (1,307 per 10,000 population), compared with 45-64 year olds (584 per 10,000 population) and 18-44 year olds (183 per 10,000 population).

A second study by AHRQ found that diabetes with complications was one of the twenty most expensive conditions seen in U.S. inpatient hospitalizations in 2011, with an aggregate cost of nearly $5.4 billion for 561,000 stays. It was among the top five most expensive conditions for uninsured patients, at an aggregate cost of $440 million for 62,000 hospitalizations.