Most Young Adults With Diabetes Don’t Know They Have It, Global Study Finds
A new global study has found that many young adults with diabetes don’t know they have the disease, putting them at serious risk. The research, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, shows that 44% of people aged 15 and above living with diabetes in 2023 were unaware of their condition.
The study was conducted by researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. It looked at diabetes trends across all age groups and in 204 countries between 2000 and 2023.
The biggest gap in diagnosis was among young adults aged 15 to 39. In this age group, only 26% had been diagnosed, despite facing higher lifetime health risks because they live longer with the disease if untreated.
“By 2050, 1.3 billion people could be living with diabetes,” said lead researcher Lauryn Stafford. “If nearly half of them don’t even know they have it, this could turn into a silent global epidemic.”
The good news is that awareness has improved since 2000, when only 47% of people with diabetes had been diagnosed.
The study also found that among those who were diagnosed, 91% were receiving some form of treatment — usually medication. However, only 42% of those treated had their blood sugar under control, meaning just 21% of all people with diabetes globally are managing it well.
The situation is worse in low- and middle-income countries, where access to diagnosis and treatment is limited. For example, in Central sub-Saharan Africa, less than 20% of people with diabetes are aware they have it.
On the other hand, high-income countries like those in North America and Asia-Pacific showed much better rates of diagnosis and treatment, and Southern Latin America had the best results for blood sugar control among those treated.
The researchers say there’s an urgent need for better screening programs for young people, along with wider access to medicines and blood sugar monitoring tools — especially in underserved areas.
