Approximately Half of People with Diabetes Worldwide Unaware They Have the Disease: Daily Dose

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On September 10, 2025, we reported on a study published in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that examined the state of the diabetes cascade of care globally.

The study

Investigators assessed data from 2000 to 2023 across 204 countries and territories, as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study. They calculated the diabetes cascade of care: "proportion of people diagnosed among those with diabetes, proportion of people receiving treatment among those with diagnosed diabetes, and proportion of people with optimal glycaemic concentrations among those receiving treatment for diabetes across all strata," they wrote.

The findings

In 2023, just 55.8% (95% uncertainty interval [UI], 49.3%–62.3%) of people aged 15 years and older living with diabetes had received a diagnosis, leaving an estimated 248 million—44% of the total—unaware they had the disease.

Among those diagnosed, 91.4% (UI, 88.0%–94.2%) received pharmacologic treatment (eg, insulin or other antihyperglycemics). However, only 41.6% (UI, 35.7%–48.5%) of those treated reached optimal glycemic concentrations. Taken together, just 21.2% (UI, 17.4%–25.6%) of all people with diabetes globally in 2023 reached optimal blood glucose management.

High-income North America had the highest rates of diagnosis, high-income Asia Pacific the highest treatment rates among diagnosed individuals, and southern Latin America the highest rates of optimal blood glucose management among those treated. Central sub-Saharan Africa showed the lowest rates of diagnosis, with fewer than 20% of people with diabetes aware of their condition.

Authors' comments

"These findings highlight the urgent need for enhanced strategies and capacity building to improve the detection, treatment, and management of diabetes worldwide. Targeted interventions to bolster health-care systems' capacity to effectively diagnose and manage diabetes could lead to better health outcomes and reduce the burden of this growing disease."

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