Diabetes is among the Top 10 causes of death worldwide. The threat of this chronic disease has been on rise over the years. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) reports that about 537 million people worldwide have diabetes.

IDF predicts 783 million people will have diabetes by 2045 — an increase of 46%. China and India with over 1 billion cases of diabetes lead the list of countries with the highest diabetes rate. A study published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology estimated that 101 million people in India or the country's 11.4% of population are living with diabetes. As per IDF, USA is among the Top 5 countries with highest diabetes rate - around 338 million, followed by Indonesia (275 million) and Pakistan (235 million).

Diabetes has become a growing health concern in America as its prevalence has increased by 18.6% from 2012 to 2022, as per latest CDC data. Over 37 million people in the United States have diabetes, and the disease is growing steadily in the country.

The increase has highlighted major disparities among racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic groups. For instance, Non-Hispanic Black individuals have the highest prevalence rate, with nearly 16%. Older adults, aged 65 and above, are also more at risk, with nearly 24% in this age group diagnosed with diabetes. Men are 1.15 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than women and individuals with obesity also face a higher risk of developing the disease.

Those with a college education and higher income levels are significantly less likely to develop the condition, with a 24% and 41% lower likelihood, respectively.

In 2022, there were 24.1 deaths from diabetes mellitus per 100,000 people in the United States.

Here's a list of Top 10 states with concerning death rates in the US:

(Source: CDC/National Center for Health Statistics
Last Reviewed: March 1, 2022)

What is diabetes
Diabetes is a disease that affects your body's ability to manage insulin which results in accumulation of high sugar levels in your bloodstream, leading to several complications across the body organs from heart, kidney, liver, eyes, nerves, and brain. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to several health hazards and it's important to manage the disease with appropriate lifestyle changes and regular medication. It is also crucial to pay attention to your mental health as the metabolic disorder can impact moods and energy levels too.

Early symptoms of diabetes include excessive urination, excessive thirst, weight loss despite eating normal or more than normal amounts of food, feeling tired and weak, feeling irritable, having blurry vision, slow healing sores, getting a lot of infections among others.