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STATISTICS AND FACTS ABOUT TYPE 2 DIABETES

Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., R.N., CRNA — Written by
Jennifer Berry on April 1, 2019
* Key facts
* Diabetes and ethnicity
* Why is it serious?
* Costs
* Types 1 and 2

Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, is a disease that causes high blood sugar. It
occurs when there is a problem with insulin.

Insulin is a hormone that takes sugar from foods and moves it to the body’s
cells. If the body does not make enough insulin or does not use insulin well,
the sugar from food stays in the blood, resulting in high blood sugar.

Diabetes is a key health concern worldwide. In the United States, the rate of
new cases rose sharply from the 1990s, but it fell between 2008 and 2015Trusted
Source, and it continues to fall, according to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention’s (CDC) National Diabetes Report, 2017. Meanwhile, the number of
adults living with diabetes continues to rise.

The most common of diabetes is type 2. According to the CDC, 90 to 95
percentTrusted Source of people with diabetes in the United States have type 2.
Just 5 percent of people have type 1.

KEY FACTS

Share on PinterestDiabetes affects over 30 million people in the U.S.

Diabetes is at an all-time high in the U.S. The CDC’s Division of Diabetes
Translation states that 1 percentTrusted Source of the population, which is
about a half of a million people, had diagnosed diabetes in 1958.

In 2015, around 9.4 percentTrusted Source of the population in the U.S. had
diabetes, including 30.2 million adults aged 18 years and over. Nearly a quarter
of those with the condition do not know they have it.

Between 1990 and 2010, the number of people living with diabetes more than
tripledTrusted Source, and the number of new cases doubled every year.

Figures suggestTrusted Source that the incidence is levelling off and may even
be falling, but it remains unclear whether this will continue as other factors
come into play, such as the aging population.

The risk of developing diabetes increases with age.

The CDC reportTrusted Source that 4.0 percent of people aged 18 to 44 years are
living with diabetes, 17 percent of those aged 45 to 64 years, and 25.2 percent
of those aged over 65 years.

CAUSES

Type 2 diabetes is thought to result from a combination of genetic and lifestyle
factors.

Scientists do not know the exact cause, but risk factors appear to include:

* excess body fat
* high blood pressure or cholesterol
* having a close family member with the condition
* a history of gestational diabetes
* higher age

As obesity has become more prevalent over the past few decades, so too has the
rate of type 2 diabetes. In 2013, more than 1 in 3 peopleTrusted Source in the
U.S. were considered to have obesity, and over 2 in 3 were either overweight or
had obesity.

In 1995, obesity affected 15.3 percentTrusted Source of Americans, and in 2008,
the figure was 25.6 percent. From 1998 to 2008, the incidence of diabetes
increased by 90 percent.

Although the link between obesity and diabetes is well known, the reasons for
the link remain unclear. A reportTrusted Source in the Journal of Clinical
Endocrinology and Metabolism asks why, if there is a link, obesity does not
always lead to diabetes.

The same report notes that the location of body fat appears to play a role.
People with more fat in the upper body area and around the waist are more likely
to get diabetes than those who carry their body fat around the hips and lower
body.

DIABETES AND ETHNICITY

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Rates of diabetes vary between ethnic groups.

There may be a combination of factors, including:

* genetics
* health conditions
* lifestyle
* finances
* environment
* access to healthcare

The CDC’s National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2017Trusted Source, found that,
among people aged 20 years and over, diabetes affects:

* non-Hispanic whites: 7.4 percent
* Asian Americans: 8.0 percent
* Hispanics: 12.1 percent
* non-Hispanic blacks: 12.7 percent
* American Indians and Alaska Natives: 15.1 percent

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WHY DIABETES IS SERIOUS

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Diabetes can have serious health consequences.

The ADA report that more Americans die from diabetes every year than from AIDS
and breast cancer combined.

According to the CDC, 79,535 deathsTrusted Source occur each year due to
diabetes. The number of fatalities related to diabetes may be underreported.

Why and how does diabetes damage the body and cause complications?

The ADA says:

* Adults with diabetes are significantly more likely to die from a heart attack
or stroke.
* More than a quarter of all Americans with diabetes have diabetic retinopathy,
which can cause vision loss and blindness.
* Each year, nearly 50,000 Americans begin treatment for kidney failure due to
diabetes. Diabetes accounts for 44 percent of all new cases of kidney
failure.
* Each year, diabetes causes about 73,000 lower limb amputations, which
accounts for 60 percent of all lower limb amputations (not including
amputations due to trauma).

Learn more here about how diabetes affects life expectancy.

COSTS

Because of its high prevalence and link to numerous health problems, diabetes
has a significant impact on healthcare costs.

The productivity loss for reduced performance at work due to diabetes in 2012
was 113 million days, or $20.8 billion, according to the ADA.

Diabetes cost the U.S. $327 billion in 2017, including $237 billion in medical
costs and $90 billion in reduced productivity.

However, this number does not include:

* the millions of people who have diabetes but no diagnosis
* the cost of prevention programs for people with diabetes, which are not
counted under standard medical costs
* over-the-counter medications for eye and dental problems, which are more
common in people with diabetes.
* administrative costs for insurance claims
* the cost of reduced quality of life, lost productivity of family members, and
other factors that cannot be measured directly

Because diabetes affects various parts of the body, the medical costs span
different areas of specialty. The ADA report that:

* 30 percent of medical costs associated with diabetes are for circulation
problems that reduce blood flow to the limbs
* 29 percent of medical costs associated with diabetes are for kidney
conditions
* 28 percent of medical costs associated with diabetes are for nervous system
conditions

Despite its complications, people can manage their diabetes with a comprehensive
plan that includes lifestyle changes and proper medical care. If they manage
their blood sugar levels well, many people with diabetes can lead full, active
lives.

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TYPES 1 AND 2

Share on PinterestType 1 and 2 have different causes and tend to appear at
different ages.

In type 1 diabetes, the immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that
make insulin. As a result, the body does not produce insulin, and people with
this condition must take insulin by injection or pump every day.

Type 1 diabetes usually develops in children or young adults, but it can occur
at any age. There is no known way to prevent type 1 diabetes, and there is no
cure.

In 2011-2012, around 17,900 childrenTrusted Source under the age of 18 years
received a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in the U.S., or around 49 children each
day. Type 1 diabetes affects around 1.25 million American adults and children.

People with type 2 diabetes may still have insulin in their bodies, but not
enough for proper blood sugar management. Or, the body may not be able to use
the insulin it has properly. As a result, blood sugar levels can become too
high.

Typically, adults are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, but children can get it
too. Certain factors increase a person’s risk of getting type 2 diabetes,
including:

* obesity
* older age
* a family history of diabetes
* lack of exercise
* problems with glucose metabolism

The annual relative increase for type 1 diabetes in 2002-2012 in the U.S. was
1.8 percentTrusted Source, but the annual increase for type 2 diabetes was 4.8
percent.

Read this article in Spanish.

Looking for diabetes-friendly meals?

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eat balanced and filling meals that keep your blood sugar in check.

LEARN MORE

Last medically reviewed on April 1, 2019

* Diabetes
* Type 2
* Blood / Hematology
* Nutrition / Diet

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Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from
peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and
associations. We avoid using tertiary references. We link primary sources —
including studies, scientific references, and statistics — within each article
and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. You
can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by
reading our editorial policy.
* Causes of type 2 diabetes. (n.d.).
https://www.diabetes.co.uk/causes-of-type2-diabetes.html
* Diabetes. (2017).
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/diabetes.htm
* Diabetes 2017 report card. (2018).
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/library/diabetesreportcard2017-508.pdf
* Fast facts: Data and statistics about diabetes [Fact sheet]. (2015).
https://professional.diabetes.org/sites/professional.diabetes.org/files/media/fast_facts_12-2015a.pdf
* Eckel, R. H., et al. (2011). Obesity and type 2 diabetes: What can be unified
and what needs to be individualized?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3206399/
* Fast facts - data and statistics about diabetes. (n.d.).
https://professional.diabetes.org/content/fast-facts-data-and-statistics-about-diabetes
* Klonoff, D. C. (2009). The increasing incidence of diabetes in the 21st
Century.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2769839/
* Long-term trends in diabetes. (2017).
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics/slides/long_term_trends.pdf
* National Diabetes Statistics Report 2017. (n.d.).
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf
* Overweight and obesity statistics. (2017).
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
* Rowley, W. R., et al. (2017). Diabetes 2013: Insights from yesterday, today,
and future trends.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5278808/
* Statistics about diabetes. (2018).
http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/
* Type 2 diabetes. (2018).
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/type2.html
* What is diabetes? (2016).
https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/what-is-diabetes

FEEDBACK:
Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph.D., R.N., CRNA — Written by
Jennifer Berry on April 1, 2019

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