{"id":15879,"date":"2020-09-29T19:10:42","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T23:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=15879"},"modified":"2026-06-05T12:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T16:14:09","slug":"diabetes-statistics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/news\/diabetes-statistics\/","title":{"rendered":"Diabetes statistics 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diabetes<\/span><\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is diabetes?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Diabetes is a medical condition where the body struggles to move glucose (a type of sugar) out of the bloodstream.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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 \u201csuper highway,\u201d glucose can travel to any cell in the body. But it needs a \u201ctaxi\u201d to get there, and that taxi is called <\/span>insulin<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When someone has diabetes, their body cannot produce or use enough insulin. They\u2019re unable to efficiently move glucose out of their bloodstream, which can lead to serious health complications.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>How much does insulin cost?<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

How common is diabetes?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Diabetes is one of the world’s fastest-growing chronic diseases. Here\u2019s a look at just how widespread it is:<\/span><\/p>\n