Global Picture: Diabetes

Globally, the number of persons with diabetes and at risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease is reaching epidemic proportions.

Over the next decade the number is expected to grow by 25%, largely driven by the rising prevalence of obesity and inactivity.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 200 million persons worldwide will have diabetes by 2010, and that number will reach 330 million by 2025.

The problem is especially serious in Asia where there are 90 million people with diabetes. This includes four of the world’s five largest populations with diabetes: India, 33 million people with diabetes; China, 23 million; Pakistan, 9 million, and Japan, 7 million. The WHO predicts that in less than a decade, 60% of the worldwide population with diabetes will be in Asia.

Unless action is taken to change the predicted path of diabetes, the disease will become a huge economic burden – both from direct healthcare costs and indirect costs due to a decline in workplace productivity, as well as losses due to premature morbidity and mortality. Therefore, individuals at risk of diabetes must be identified, and prevention and suitable treatment interventions implemented.