Key Global Findings

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) have just released the 10th edition of their IDF Global Atlas with updated figures on the incidence and cost of diabetes. The data paints a grim picture.

This report confirms the growing prevalence of diabetes as a significant global challenge to the health and wellbeing of individuals, families and societies.

It highlights the urgent need for governments and policy-makers to take action to tackle this epidemic.

Key takeouts:

• Since the first edition in 2000, the estimated worldwide prevalence of diabetes has more than tripled, from an estimated 151 million (4.6% of the global population at the time) to 537 million (10.5%) today.
• Globally, more than one in 10 adults are now living with diabetes. Moreover, there is a growing list of countries where one in five or even more of the adult population has diabetes.
• Approximately 6.7 million adults between the age of 20–79 are estimated to have died as a result of diabetes or its complications in 2021 – around 12% of deaths from all causes in this age group.
• The overall direct cost of diabetes worldwide is A$1.344 trillion (or A$1,344 billion).

Diabetes in Australia

Key takeouts:

• 1,491,800 Australians in the age range 20-79 have diabetes which equates to a prevalence of 8.2%.
• Of these, almost 400,000 are thought to be undiagnosed.
• The annual number of diabetes-related deaths is 23,226.
• The annual cost of diabetes in Australia is A$12.362 billion.