How many people have diabetes?
Scientific support: Dr. Esther Seidel-Jacobs
Diabetes mellitus is a widespread disease. More than 8.9 million people in Germany live with diabetes.
The vast majority, around 93 percent, have type 2 diabetes. Yet many people are unaware of their diabetes. It is estimated that approximately 2 million people in Germany have undiagnosed diabetes. Every year, some 450,000 people in Germany are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes for the first time.
Representing around 6 percent of cases, type 1 diabetes is much less common in Germany. Approximately 35,100 children and adolescents and 341,000 adults in Germany live with a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.
Diabetes on the rise: More and more people are developing diabetes
Depending on the study type and data source, different estimates are given for the current incidence of type 2 diabetes in Germany. These range from 9 to 12 percent. Elderly people are the most likely to have type 2 diabetes, with the disease being most prevalent among the over-80s. One in three people (33 percent) in this age group lives with type 2 diabetes.
It is expected that more and more people will develop diabetes in the coming decades. According to a recent forecast, the number of people with type 2 diabetes is likely to double by 2040 compared with 2015 figures.
This is mainly due to an aging population and reduced mortality as a result of improved treatment options for people with type 2 diabetes. While the number of new cases in older age groups (60 and over) has fortunately fallen in recent years, there has been an increase in the 20 to 39 age group.
Furthermore, nationwide register data show an increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes in adolescents in recent years, although the absolute number of affected adolescents remains low at around 950 between the ages of 11 and 18. An increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was particularly observed in the 15 to 19 age group.
Find more information about the causes and development of type 2 diabetes here.
Good to know:
Around 8.9 million people in Germany have diabetes.
The number of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes is also continuously rising. Based on a nationwide diabetes register, the prevalence of the disease in Germany has risen by an average of 3 percent annually over the last two decades. In 2020, boys were more commonly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes than girls. Boys are most frequently diagnosed between the ages of 11 and 17 and girls between the ages of 7 and 13.
Good to know:
Type 1 diabetes is the most common metabolic disease in children and adolescents.
Find more information about the causes and development of type 1 diabetes here.
What other forms of diabetes are there?
Another form of diabetes is gestational diabetes. This is a metabolic disorder that first occurs during pregnancy. Women who have had gestational diabetes have a significantly increased long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes in their lifetime.
Click here for the diabetes risk test after gestational diabetes.
Analyses of data from a large German health insurance company reveal that an increasing number of women have been diagnosed with gestational diabetes over the years: While around 9 in every 100 pregnant women had gestational diabetes in 2010, this had risen to 15 in 100 by 2020.
Besides these forms of diabetes, there are also other types, such as MODY and other rare forms of diabetes.
What are the risk factors?
Most people with diabetes live with type 2 diabetes. There are various risk factors that promote type 2 diabetes. In addition to unchangeable risk factors, such as age or genetic predisposition, risk factors that we can influence ourselves also play a role.
These include, for example:
- lack of physical activity
- unbalanced diet
- obesity, especially in the abdominal area, known as visceral fat
In many cases, modern, unhealthy lifestyles mean that even people who could remain healthy develop type 2 diabetes.
Watch our animated video to find out more about the risk factors for type 2 diabetes. We also suggest ways to reinforce healthy behavior.
This video is available with English subtitles.
The risk factors for type 1 diabetes differ from those for type 2 diabetes and are still not fully understood.
How prevalent is diabetes worldwide?
Worldwide, some 537 million people between the ages of 20 and 79 have diabetes—around 10 in every 100 people (9.8 percent). This is based on calculations made by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in 2021. It is also estimated that the number of people with diabetes worldwide will rise to 783 million by 2045.
Accounting for around 90 percent of cases, type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes worldwide. It is assumed that a total of around 8.75 million people have type 1 diabetes. The vast majority (64 percent) are between 20 and 59 years old.
Most people with diabetes live in the Western Pacific region and Southeast Asia. The number of people with diabetes is expected to rise sharply in the next 20 years. This will primarily affect the regions of Africa (up 134%), the Middle East and North Africa (up 87%) and South East Asia (up 68%). In low-income countries, for every person diagnosed with diabetes there are currently around two people who are unaware of their condition. For comparison: In Germany, it is assumed that around 22 percent of people with diabetes, i.e. only one in five, unknowingly lives with the disease.
If you would like to find out more about type 2 diabetes, visit our “Living with diabetes” portal.
Sources:
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Deutsche Diabetes Gesellschaft et al.: Deutscher Gesundheitsbericht Diabetes 2024. Kirchheim Verlag, Mainz, 2023
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Lappe, V. et al.: Gestational diabetes in Germany—prevalence, trend during the past decade and utilization of follow-up care: an observational study. In: Sci Rep, 2023, 13: 16
Nationale Diabetes-Surveillance am Robert Koch-Institut: Diabetes in Deutschland – Bericht der Nationalen Diabetes-Surveillance 2019. Robert Koch-Institut, Berlin
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As of: 28.05.2024
