The International Diabetes Federation's Did You Know? page, which quotes data from the Diabetes Atlas, Third Edition (2007), reports:
- Diabetes currently affects 246 million people worldwide and is expected to affect 380 million by 2025.
- In 2007, the five countries with the largest numbers of people with diabetes were India (40.9 million), China (39.8 million), the United States (19.2 million), Russia (9.6 million), and Germany (7.4 million).
- In 2007, the five countries with the highest diabetes prevalence in the adult population are Nauru (30.7%), United Arab Emirates (19.5%), Saudi Arabia (16.7%), Bahrain (15.2%), and Kuwait (14.4%).
- By 2025, the largest increases in diabetes prevalence will take place in developing countries.
- Each year a further 7 million people develop diabetes.
- Each year 3.8 million deaths are attributable to diabetes. An even greater number die from cardiovascular disease made worse by diabetes-related lipid disorders and hypertension.
- Every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes.
- Every 10 seconds two people develop diabetes.
- Diabetes is the fourth leading cause of global death by disease.
- At least 50% of all people with diabetes are unaware of their condition. In some countries this figure may reach 80%.
- Up to 80% of type 2 diabetes is preventable by adopting a healthy diet and increasing physical activity.
- On average, people with type 2 diabetes will die 5–10 years before people without diabetes, mostly due to cardiovascular disease.
- Cardiovascular disease is the major cause of death in diabetes, accounting for some 50% of all diabetes fatalities, and much disability.
- People with type 2 diabetes are over twice as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as people who do not have diabetes. Indeed, people with type 2 diabetes are as likely to suffer a heart attack as people without diabetes who have already had a heart attack.
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The American Diabetes Association reports that nearly 23.6 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes, one-quarter of those do not know they have diabetes, and one in five Americans are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
The Canadian Diabetes Association reports that more than 2 million Canadians have diabetes, with about 10% having type 1 and 90% having type 2. Gestational diabetes affects about 3.7% of pregnancies in the non-Aboriginal population and 8–18% of pregnancies in the Aboriginal population.