Diabetes

Study: Over 1.3B Will Have Diabetes by 2050

JUN 23 2023·Updated JUN 24 2023

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The Facts

According to a study published Thursday in The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journals, over 1.3B people worldwide will have diabetes by 2050.
guardian
The study also predicts that 43.6% out of 204 countries will have a diabetes prevalence greater than 10%. In 2021, 529M people were living with diabetes worldwide — 95% of which were cases of type 2 diabetes — with a global prevalence of 6.1%.
Dw.Com
While every country will be impacted, prevalence rates are increasing to reach 16.8% in North Africa and the Middle East and 11.3% in Latin America and the Caribbean by 2050.
Reuters
According to the report, diabetes rates are rising globally due to increasing levels of obesity and health inequalities, with rates of diabetes among minority ethnic groups higher than whites in wealthy countries like the US.
Independent
Professor Leonard Egede, the study's co-author, said that historically disenfranchised racial and ethnic groups are less likely to get "access to sufficient and healthy food and health care services," which "contribute to poorer outcomes" for people with diabetes.
EuroNews
In the US, the healthcare cost of diabetes is about $237B a year, not inclusive of medical expenses attributed to greater use of healthcare services before a diabetes diagnosis.
American Medical Association

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

With diabetes outpacing most diseases globally, it has reached epidemic proportions and become one of the biggest public health threats and a significant burden on healthcare systems worldwide. It's crucial that the impact of social and economic factors on this disease — including racism, deprivation, and poverty — is acknowledged to stop its rise worldwide.

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Narrative B

Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease, so fighting the silent killer will require lifestyle changes — like eating healthier greens instead of highly processed foods. It's not the government's job to make decisions or spend millions on changing personal food habits. To turn the tide against diabetes, we will need more than one type of public sector intervention.