Urgent action needed as global diabetes cases increase four-fold over past decades – PAHO/WHO

In the Americas, the number of people with diabetes has almost quadrupled since 1990.

Geneva/Washington DC, November 14, 2024 (PAHO/WHO) – The number of adults living with diabetes worldwide has exceeded 800 million, more than quadrupling since 1990, according to New data published in The Lancet. on World Diabetes Day. The analysis, conducted by the NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), highlights the scale of the diabetes epidemic and the urgent need for stronger global action to address both the increasing disease rates such as expanding treatment. gaps, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

«We have seen an alarming rise in diabetes over the past three decades, reflecting the rise in obesity, compounded by the impacts of unhealthy food marketing, lack of physical activity and economic hardship,» said Director WHO General, Dr. Tedros. Adhanom Ghebreyesus: “To control the global diabetes epidemic, countries must take urgent action. This begins with enacting policies that support healthy diets and physical activity and, most importantly, health systems that provide prevention, early detection, and medical care. treatment.»

The study reports that the global prevalence of diabetes in adults increased from 7% to 14% between 1990 and 2022. Low- and middle-income countries experienced the largest increases, where diabetes rates have skyrocketed while access to treatment remains persistently low. This trend has led to stark inequalities globally: in 2022, almost 450 million adults aged 30 years and older (around 59% of all adults with diabetes) remained untreated, an increase of 3.5 times the number of people untreated since 1990. Ninety percent of untreated adults live in low- and middle-income countries.

The study further reveals substantial global differences in diabetes rates, with the prevalence of diabetes among adults aged 18 years and older around 20% in the WHO Southeast Asia and Eastern Mediterranean regions. These two regions, along with the African Region, have the lowest rates of diabetes treatment coverage: fewer than 4 in 10 adults with diabetes take glucose-lowering medications.

Diabetes in the Region of the Americas

The study shows that in the Americas, 112 million adults (13% of the adult population) live with diabetes; This is almost four times the number of adults with diabetes in 1990 (30 million adults, 7% of the adult population). In the Caribbean, the prevalence is even higher and reaches 20% of the adult population.

Ensuring access to treatment remains a challenge in the Region, where an estimated 43 million people with diabetes (aged 30 years and older) cannot access treatment, highlighting the urgent need to expand access to treatment. primary health care services.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) initiative, Better Care for NCDs: Accelerating Actions in Primary Health Care, is an evidence-based initiative that provides Member States with the regulatory guidance necessary to strengthen their care services. primary care to improve access and quality of care. for non-communicable diseases, including diabetes.

PAHO also supports countries in the implementation of the type 2 diabetes clinical pathway, a standardized technical resource aimed at improving the quality and efficiency of health care for people with type 2 diabetes at the primary care level of health.

PAHO’s Regional Revolving Funds, a pooled procurement mechanism that allows countries in the Americas to access quality vaccines, essential medicines and public health supplies at affordable prices, also offers high-quality diabetes medicines, including insulin , metformin and glycozide, as well as glucometers. and related supplies.

WHO’s commitment to the global diabetes response

To address the growing burden of diabetes, WHO is also launching a new global diabetes monitoring framework today. This product represents a crucial step in the global response, providing comprehensive guidance to countries to measure and evaluate diabetes prevention, care, outcomes and impacts. By tracking key indicators such as glycemic control, hypertension, and access to essential medicines, countries can improve targeted interventions and policy initiatives. This standardized approach allows countries to prioritize resources effectively, driving significant improvements in diabetes prevention and care.

from the WHO Global Diabetes Pactlaunched in 2021, includes a vision to reduce the risk of diabetes and ensure that all people diagnosed with diabetes have access to equitable, comprehensive, affordable and quality treatment and care. Work carried out as part of the Compact will also support the prevention of type 2 diabetes due to obesity, unhealthy diet and physical inactivity. Additionally, that same year, the World Health Assembly adopted a resolution on diabetes that urged Member States to increase the priority given to the prevention, diagnosis and control of diabetes, as well as the prevention and treatment of risk factors such as obesity.

In 2022, WHO set five global diabetes coverage targets to be achieved by 2030. One of these targets is to ensure that 80% of people with diagnosed diabetes achieve good glycemic control. Today’s statement underscores the scale and urgency of the action needed to advance efforts to close the gap.

The upcoming year 2025 presents an important opportunity to catalyze action against the alarming rise in diabetes around the world with the Fourth High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). ) which will take place in September. This meeting brings together heads of state and government to set a powerful vision to prevent and control NCDs, including diabetes, through a collective commitment to address root causes and improve access to screening and treatment. By aligning efforts towards the 2030 and 2050 goals, this high-level meeting is a crucial moment to strengthen global health systems, including primary health care, and stop the rise of the diabetes epidemic.

Notes for editors

The study published today was conducted by the NCD Risk Factors Collaboration (NCD-RisC), a global network of more than 1,500 researchers and professionals, in collaboration with WHO. It is the first global analysis of trends in both diabetes rates and treatment coverage based on data from more than 140 million people aged 18 years and older who were included in more than 1,000 studies covering populations from all over the world. the countries. The study used an updated methodology to measure diabetes prevalence in populations from previous studies to provide a more accurate depiction of the global diabetes epidemic.