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Data

Prevalence rate of diabetes in adults

What you should know about this indicator

Rationale

To assess the level of treatment with glucose-lowering medication among people with diabetes

Definition

Percentage of people aged ≥ 30 years with diabetes who are currently using glucose-lowering medication. Diabetes is defined as FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L, or HbA1c ≥6.5%, or taking medication for diabetes.

Method of measurement

Estimated from population-based surveys as follows:
Numerator: number of adults aged ≥ 30 years with diabetes who are currently taking glucose-lowering medication
Denominator: total number of adults aged ≥ 30 years with diabetes, defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ≥7.0 mmol/L, glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) ≥6.5%, or taking medication for diabetes.
Whether a person is taking glucose-lowering medication for diabetes is assessed using survey-specific questions worded as variations of “are you currently taking medication for diabetes or high blood sugar?”; or the combination of “do you currently inject/use insulin for diabetes?” and “are you currently taking any medicines, tablets, or pills for diabetes?”; or using information gathered on prescribed medicines.

Method of estimation

Population-representative studies with measurements of fasting glucose and/or glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), and information on diabetes treatment were compiled.
Data were pooled using a Bayesian hierarchical meta-regression model to estimate diabetes treatment coverage.
Age-standardized estimates are produced by weighting the age-specific estimates by the product of the WHO Standard Population fraction and the age-specific prevalence of diabetes.
Full details of input data and methods are available at:
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC). Worldwide trends in diabetes prevalence and treatment from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 1108 population-representative studies with 141 million participants. Lancet 2024. Available online at: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02317-1

Prevalence rate of diabetes in adults
Percentage of people aged ≥ 30 years with diabetes who are currently using glucose-lowering medication. Diabetes is defined as FPG ≥7.0 mmol/L, or HbA1c ≥6.5%, or taking medication for diabetes.
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2025) – processed by Our World in Data
Last updated
May 19, 2025
Next expected update
May 2026
Date range
1980–2014

Sources and processing

This data is based on the following sources

The GHO data repository is WHO's gateway to health-related statistics for its 194 Member States. It provides access to over 1000 indicators on priority health topics including mortality and burden of diseases, the Millennium Development Goals (child nutrition, child health, maternal and reproductive health, immunization, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected diseases, water and sanitation), non communicable diseases and risk factors, epidemic-prone diseases, health systems, environmental health, violence and injuries, equity among others.

Retrieved on
May 19, 2025
Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/data/gho
Citation
This is the citation of the original data obtained from the source, prior to any processing or adaptation by Our World in Data. To cite data downloaded from this page, please use the suggested citation given in Reuse This Work below.
World Health Organization. 2025. Global Health Observatory data repository. http://www.who.int/gho/en/.

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Citations

How to cite this page

To cite this page overall, including any descriptions, FAQs or explanations of the data authored by Our World in Data, please use the following citation:

“Data Page: Prevalence rate of diabetes in adults”. Our World in Data (2025). Data adapted from World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/diabetes-prevalence-who-gho [online resource]
How to cite this data

In-line citationIf you have limited space (e.g. in data visualizations), you can use this abbreviated in-line citation:

World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2025) – processed by Our World in Data

Full citation

World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2025) – processed by Our World in Data. “Prevalence rate of diabetes in adults” [dataset]. World Health Organization, “Global Health Observatory” [original data]. Retrieved June 12, 2025 from https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/diabetes-prevalence-who-gho