Diabetes Statistics - United States and Canada

United States

In adults diagnosed with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes¹:

• 14% take insulin only
• 13% take both insulin and oral medication
• 57% take oral medication only
• 16% do not take either insulin or oral medication.

Approximate diagnosed diabetes in the United States (2007)¹:

• 17.9 million people

Estimated undiagnosed diabetes in the United States (2007)¹:

• 5.7 million people

Approximate number of people over 20 years old diagnosed with diabetes in the United States (2007)¹:

• 20 years or older: 23.5 million
• 60 years or older: 12.2 million
• Men: 12.0 million
• Women: 11.5 million

Number of people younger than 20 years old diagnosed with diabetes in the United States (2007)¹:

• 186,300 people

Complications of Diabetes:¹

• Diabetic adults are 2 to 4 times more likely to die from heart disease than adults without diabetes.
• Diabetics are 2 to 4 times more likely to suffer a stroke.
• Diabetes is the leading cause for new blindess in adults 20-74 years of age.
• Diabetes is the leading cause for kidney failure.
• Approximately 60% to 70% of diabetics have some form of nerve damage.
• Over 60% of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations occur in diabetics.
• Dental disease is more common in diabetics.

Estimated medical costs of treating diabetes: ³

• The total estimated cost of diagnosed diabetes in 2012 is $245 billion. This is a 41% increase since 2007.
• Of the $245 billion, $176 billion is from direct medical costs, and the remaining $69 billion is attributed to reduced productivity.
• People who have been diagnosed with diabetes have medical costs that are approximately 2.3 times higher (on average) than those people with diabetes.

For people with pre-diabetes or at risk for diabetes, lifestyle changes prevented the disease by:¹

• 58% over 3 years
• 71% among adults aged 60 years or older.

Canada

Approximate number of people in Canada diagnosed with diabetes (2008-2009): ²

• 2.4 million Canadians
• 6.4% of Canadian females (aged 1 year or older) were diagnosed with diabetes
• 7.2% of all males (aged 1 year or older) were diagnosed
• 8.7% of the adult population (aged 20 years or older) were diagnosed with diabetes
• For people aged 75-79 years, 23.1% of females and 28.5% of males were diagnosed with diabetes
• More than 50% of the affected Canadian population are between 25 and 64 years of age
• Highest numbers in Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Ontario
• Lowest numbers in the Nunavut, Alberta, and Quebec

Prevalence of Diabetes (2010): ²

• The highest prevalence of diabetes was found in the USA, followed by Portugal, and then Canada.
• The International Diabetes Federation estimated that diabetes among adults aged 20 to 79 years was 6.4%, or about 285 million people worldwide.

Future Projections: ²

• By 2018/19, it's estimated that 3.7 million Canadians will have been diagnosed with diabetes.
• This represents an increase of 56% over 2008/09 numbers.

Sources for diabetes statistics:

¹ National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

² Public Health Agency Canada

³ American Diabetes Association