Key Points on Diabetes in India

Highest Global Diabetes Burden: In 2022, India recorded the highest number of diabetics globally, accounting for over a quarter of the 82.8 crore cases worldwide. Approximately 21.2 crore Indians or 23.7% of the population, were living with diabetes.

Treatment Gap: Nearly 62% of diabetics in India were not on any treatment, which represents around 13.3 crore people. This gap is significant, as untreated diabetes can lead to severe health complications. Comparatively, in China, which also has a large population, only 7.8 crore diabetics were not on treatment out of 14.8 crore total diabetics.

Historical Increase in Diabetes Prevalence: From 1990 to 2022, the prevalence of diabetes in India nearly doubled, with rates rising from 11.9% to 23.7% in women and from 11.3% to 21.4% in men.

Slight Improvement in Treatment Coverage: Between 1990 and 2022, treatment coverage for diabetic women increased from 21.6% to 27.8% and for men from 25.3% to 29.3%. However, these increases remain inadequate relative to the high number of diabetics in the country.

Global Comparison and Implications: In 2022, there were approximately 44.5 crore diabetics aged 30 and above worldwide who were not receiving treatment, a figure three and a half times higher than in 1990. The lack of adequate treatment is particularly concerning in low- and middle-income countries, where younger individuals are increasingly diabetic and at risk of complications like amputation, cardiovascular disease, kidney damage, and vision loss, often leading to premature death.

Global Inequality in Diabetes Care: The study highlights significant disparities in diabetes management across different countries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like India, where the burden of diabetes is growing and treatment rates are stagnating.

Source

The study was conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and published in The Lancet. Data was drawn from 1,108 population-based studies across 141 million adults aged 18 and above, using measurements like fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) to determine diabetes prevalence and treatment coverage.