A recent study published by the Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology journal states that over 11 per cent of the adult population worldwide or 589 million adults aged 20-79, were affected by the metabolic disorder in 2024. With 90 million people living with diabetes, India ranks second. China has topped with 148 million and the US is 3rd with 39 million people living with diabetes.
Pointing out at the countries with high populations such as India, China, Pakistan, researchers from the International Diabetes Federation in Belgium, the India Diabetes Research Foundation and Dr A Ramachandran’s Diabetes Hospital in Chennai noted that the contribution of these countries to worldwide diabetes is much higher compared to other nations.
Will Pakistan surpass the United States by 2050?
In the 11th edition of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Diabetes Atlas, there is an estimate of national, regional and global diabetes prevalence for 2024 and also a projection for 2050. In this Atlas there is an analysis of 215 countries and territories, for these 246 studies were conducted in between the years 2005 and 2024. In the study, it was noted that 589 million adults (over 11 per cent of the world’s adult population), aged 20-79, are living with metabolic disorder and some 13 per cent (853 million adults) would be affected by 2050, the study notes. Author of the study notes, “In 2024, one in nine adults worldwide was living with diabetes. The number of adults with diabetes in 2024 exceeded 500 million and is projected to rise to close to 900 million by 2050. Pakistan could surpass the US by 2050,”. Author also adds, “In 2024, the largest number of adults with diabetes aged 20-79 years was in China (148 million), followed by India (90 million), and the US (39 million),”.
Talking about the origin of the patients, the study noted that 4/5th of the world’s diabetes population or 80.64 per cent were residing in low and middle-income countries in 2024. The research also noted that by 2050, these figures can increase upto 95 per cent. Stating the cause of the diabetes, the research noted that the population growth, population ageing, and ongoing urbanisation, have cumulatively contributed to the increase in cases.
Middle income countries have high prevalence of diabetes
What makes the data collection of diabetes even tougher is the resource-poor settings, and it is expected that there will be an increase in diabetes prevalence in these countries. As per the research 25 percent of the population aged 75-79 had diabetes. When it comes to gender, cases of diabetes were higher among men than women. Research also noted that in middle-income countries there was highest prevalence (11.46 %), followed by high-income (10.21%) and low-income countries (7.47%).
Team of researchers have concluded that since the turn of the millennium, the diabetes epidemic has gone unchecked and more efforts have to be put in to slow down the progression.
