Diabetes is found in every region in the world, including rural parts of low- and middle-income countries. Approximately 422 million adults with diabetes worldwide in 2014. The age-adjusted prevalence in adults with diabetes has risen from 4.7% in 1980 to 8.5% in 2014, with the greatest increase in low- and middle-income countries. Without interventions to halt the increase in diabetes, there will be at least 629 million people living with diabetes by 2045.
High blood glucose causes almost 4 million deaths each year, and the International Diabetes Federation estimates that the annual global health care spending on diabetes among adults was US$ 850 billion in 2017. The effects of diabetes extend beyond the individual to affect their families and whole societies. It has broad socio-economic consequences and threatens national productivity and economies, especially in low- and middle-income countries where diabetes is often accompanied by other diseases.