Diabetes statistics 2026

In this article:

• What is diabetes?
• How common is diabetes?
• Common diabetes complications
• The cost of diabetes
• Diabetes prevention
• FAQs

In this article

• What is diabetes?
• How common is diabetes?
• Common diabetes complications
• The cost of diabetes
• Diabetes prevention
• FAQs

Diabetes is a collection of diseases characterized by elevated blood glucose. Diabetes can be expensive to treat and may lead to complications like poor heart health, kidney disease, and neurological damage. Unfortunately, diabetes is increasingly prevalent in the U.S. and around the world. Read on for worldwide and U.S. diabetes stats and facts. 

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a medical condition where the body struggles to move glucose (a type of sugar) out of the bloodstream. 

Glucose is essential for life because our bodies use it for energy. When we eat food, it gets broken down into small glucose molecules that move into the bloodstream from the digestive tract. From the bloodstream “super highway,” glucose can travel to any cell in the body. But it needs a “taxi” to get there, and that taxi is called insulin. 

When someone has diabetes, their body cannot produce or use enough insulin. They’re unable to efficiently move glucose out of their bloodstream, which can lead to serious health complications.

RELATED: How much does insulin cost?

How common is diabetes?

Diabetes is one of the world’s fastest-growing chronic diseases. Here’s a look at just how widespread it is:

• An estimated 589 million to 830 million people are living with diabetes worldwide. (International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 2025; World Health Organization (WHO), 2024)
• Worldwide, the number of people with diabetes has more than quadrupled since 1990. (WHO, 2024)
• Nearly 450 million adults over 30 with diabetes remain untreated. That’s 3.5 times more than in 1990. (WHO, 2024)
• Experts estimate that more than 1.3 billion people around the world will have diabetes by 2050. (The Lancet, 2023)

Diabetes statistics in the U.S.

• Approximately 40.1 million people have diabetes in the U.S. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2026)
• About 11 million Americans with diabetes are undiagnosed. (CDC, 2026)
• Around 14.9% of U.S. adults have diabetes. (CDC, 2026)
• About 1.5 million U.S. adults are diagnosed with diabetes each year. (CDC, 2026)

Diabetes statistics by state

The states with the highest percentage of adults who have ever had diabetes are:

• West Virginia (15%)
• Mississippi (14.7%)
• Louisiana (14.5%)
• Alabama (13.7%)
• Arkansas (13%)
• Tennessee (12.7%)
• South Carolina (12.6%)
• Indiana (11.5%)
• Georgia (11.4%)
• Ohio (11.3%)

The states with the lowest percentage of adults who have ever had diabetes are:

• Vermont (7.7%)
• New Hampshire (7.9%)
• Montana (7.9%)
• Colorado (8%)
• Utah (8%)
• District of Columbia (8.2%)
• Connecticut (8.3%)
• Alaska (8.3%)
• Massachusetts (8.5%)
• Washington (8.6%)

(CDC, 2026)
*Data for Kentucky and Pennsylvania are not available.

Diabetes statistics by type

There are four types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes: An autoimmune attack on pancreas cells stops them from creating insulin, so people with Type 1 need to take insulin shots every day. In most cases, Type 1 diabetes is diagnosed in children and teens, but it can manifest in adults as well.
• Type 2 diabetes: People with Type 2 can produce insulin, but their bodies can’t use it well. When blood sugar is consistently high, the pancreas continuously pumps out insulin, and eventually, cells become overexposed. Type 2 is by far the most common type of diabetes and one that typically develops in adults; however, the rate of Type 2 diabetes in children is increasing. (Trends, CDC, 2024)
• Gestational diabetes: This type only occurs in pregnant women and typically goes away after childbirth; however, half of the women who have gestational diabetes will develop Type 2 diabetes later in life. Treatment includes a doctor-recommended exercise and meal plan. Sometimes, daily blood glucose tests and insulin injections are necessary. (Gestational, CDC, 2024)
• Prediabetes: Prediabetes isn’t technically diabetes. It’s more like a precursor. A prediabetic person’s blood glucose is consistently above average but not high enough to warrant a full diabetes diagnosis. People with prediabetes can help prevent Type 2 diabetes by implementing a healthy diet, increased physical activity, and stress management.

Here’s how many people have each type of diabetes:

• Approximately 314,000 U.S. children and 1.8 million U.S. adults over 20 years old have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. (CDC, 2026)
• In 2022, 21,732 children younger than 18 years old received a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, and 14,490 received a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes. (CDC, 2026)
• Approximately 95% of all U.S. diabetes cases are Type 2. (CDC, 2026)
• Around 5% to 9% of pregnant U.S. women develop gestational diabetes each year. (Gestational, CDC, 2024)
• An estimated 115.2 million Americans aged 18 years or older have prediabetes, around 43% of the adult population. (CDC, 2026)

Diabetes statistics by age

There are higher diabetes rates among older age groups, especially for Type 2 diabetes, which takes longer to develop. 

• Diabetes prevalence among all U.S. adults age 20 or older:
  • Ages 20–39: 3.6%
  • Ages 40–59: 17.7%
  • Ages 60+: 27.3%
    (National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), 2024)
• In August 2023, the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was 1.3% for adults ages 20–39, 5.6% for ages 40–59, and 6.8% for ages 60+. (NCHS, 2024)
• The prevalence of prediabetes is approximately 36.1% among ages 18–44, 48.6% among ages 45–64, and 52.1% among ages 65 and older. (CDC, 2026)
• Children are more likely to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after the age of 10. (CDC, 2026)

Diabetes statistics by race and ethnicity

Diabetes prevalence also varies between different racial and ethnic groups. Here’s how diabetes diagnoses break down in the U.S.:

• American Indian/Alaska Native adults: 15.7% 
• Non-Hispanic African Americans: 12.2% 
• Hispanic adults: 11.8% 
• Asian adults: 9.7%
• Non-Hispanic caucasian adults: 7.1% 

(CDC, 2026)

And the percentage of adults with diagnosed prediabetes is as follows:

• Hispanics: 47.7%
• Asians: 41.6%
• Non-Hispanic caucasian adults: 41.6%
• Non-Hispanic African Americans: 38.9%

*Data for American Indian/Alaska Native adults were not available for prediabetes diagnoses. (CDC, 2026)

Common diabetes complications

Many people with diabetes can still do all of their favorite activities as long as they maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, “living with diabetes is a daily challenge,” says Sharita E. Warfield, MD, a board-certified emergency medicine physician and the founder and CEO of Warfield Medical Group, PLLC. 

Those who decide to make changes have to ask questions like, “Is it too many carbs continually? Does it have added sugar? Am I getting enough fiber?” Then, “they have to figure out how to add in physical activity, ways to destress, and how to avoid toxic substances like drugs or alcohol or sugary substances. Not only that, but a person living with diabetes also has to remember to take their insulin, oral pills, or both, and check their blood sugar levels daily.” 

It might seem like a lot of work, but the alternatives are sobering. Diabetes can cause serious health problems, such as:

• Diabetes directly caused 95,150 deaths in 2023, making it the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. Diabetes was listed as a contributing cause in nearly 400,000 other deaths that year. (American Diabetes Association (ADA), 2023)
• People who have Type 2 diabetes have a 1.5–2 times greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease. (Nature, 2024)
• There were 18.2 million diabetes-related emergency room visits in 2020–2021 among adults aged 18 years or older. (CDC, 2023)
• Among U.S. adults aged 18 years or older with diabetes, an estimated 38% also had chronic kidney disease. (Chronic Kidney Disease, CDC, 2026)
• Approximately 1 in 4 Americans aged 40+ who have diabetes also have diabetic retinopathy (long-term damage to retinal blood vessels). (JAMA Ophthalmology, 2023)
• Around 154,000 people undergo diabetes-related foot amputations each year. (ADA, 2022)
• African Americans are four times more likely than whites to have a diabetes-related amputation, while Latinx communities are 50% more likely, and Indigenous communities are two times more likely. (ADA, 2022)

Related: Diabetes Coupons & Discount Diabetic Supplies

The cost of diabetes

• The total annual cost of diabetes in 2022 was around $413 billion. (Health, CDC, 2024)
• Healthcare costs for people with diabetes account for 25% of the money spent on healthcare in the U.S. (Health, CDC, 2024)
• People with diabetes have average annual medical expenses of $19,736, including $12,022 spent directly on diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2024)
• On average, people who have diabetes spend 2.6 times more on medical expenses than people who don’t have diabetes. (Diabetes Care, 2024)
• Up to 64% of healthcare costs for a person with diabetes go to treating diabetes complications. (Health, CDC, 2024)

RELATED: How to get free diabetic supplies

Diabetes prevention

Type 2 diabetes is widespread, but the good news is that there are ways to lower your risk, and prediabetes can be reversed. The best way to keep it at bay is with a well-balanced diet, regular exercise, and sometimes medications. 

• People who aimed to lose 7% of their body weight by exercising 150 minutes per week for three years decreased their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by up to 58%. People aged 60 and older decreased their risk by 71%. (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), 2021)
• Losing more than 10% of body weight can improve high blood sugar and potentially lead to Type 2 diabetes remission. (Diabetes Care, 2023)
• Adhering to the NIDDK Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) can prevent or delay Type 2 diabetes for 15 years or more. (NIDDK, 2021)
• Diabetic women who exercised at least four hours a week had a 40% lower risk of developing heart disease than those who didn’t exercise. (Harvard Health, 2023)

Some risk factors are unavoidable, but others aren’t. Committing to healthy habits will help head off most of them. On an individual basis, “people can prevent or prolong the onset of prediabetes or Type 2 diabetes by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and implementing 150 to 300 minutes per week of moderate physical activity,” says Dr. Warfield. “Adopting these behavior changes early in life helps improve the quality of life and prevent the onset of prediabetes, which eventually leads to Type 2 diabetes if nothing is done.”

Frequently asked questions about diabetes

How many people have diabetes?

According to the World Health Organization, more than 800 million people worldwide have diabetes. The U.S. accounts for 40.1 million of those cases, says the CDC. 

What population has the highest rate of diabetes?

CDC data shows middle-aged and older adults (ages 45 and older) in the U.S. have a higher rate of diabetes. American Indians/Alaska Natives have the highest diabetes prevalence at 15.7%. Men are more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes or prediabetes than women. 

Is the incidence of diabetes increasing?

Yes, diabetes is becoming more common. Globally, the number of people who have diabetes has quadrupled since 1990, says the World Health Organization, and research published in The Lancet predicts that number could surpass 1.3 billion by 2050. 

What are some juvenile diabetes statistics?

More commonly known as Type 1 diabetes, juvenile diabetes is typically diagnosed in children and is managed by daily insulin shots. Type 1 diabetes is a lifetime condition. Around 314,000 U.S. children under age 20 have Type 1 diabetes, as well as 1.8 million adults. 

What percent of people affected by diabetes have Type 2 diabetes?

The majority (90% to 95%) of people with diabetes have Type 2 diabetes.

How do people die from diabetes?

People rarely die from high blood sugar directly. However, high blood sugar can lead to complications with other organs over time. For example, high blood sugar can damage the kidneys over a long period of time, leading to potential kidney failure. And since diabetes is often associated with cardiovascular conditions, heart failure, and stroke are other common causes of death in diabetics. In uncontrolled Type 1 diabetes, a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis (very high blood glucose levels) can cause sudden death.

How many deaths are caused by diabetes each year? How many Americans die from diabetes annually?

In 2021, the WHO said diabetes directly caused 1.6 million deaths worldwide. Data from the CDC shows more than 95,000 deaths in the U.S. have been attributed directly to diabetes, and nearly 400,000 have been caused by diabetes indirectly. That makes it the seventh leading cause of death for Americans.

How many people are predicted to have diabetes in the future?

Research predicts that more than 1.3 billion people will have diabetes by 2050.

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