Diabetes: A comprehensive review of the Indian landscape in contrast with global trends

Table 1 An extensive analysis of diabetes trends worldwide in 2025

Global diabetes epidemiology (2025)
Ref.	International Diabetes Federation[25], 2023; World Health Organization[26], 2025
Aspect	Details
Global prevalence	Approximately 589 million adults (20-79 years) are living with diabetes, representing 11.1% of the global adult population; projected to rise to 853 million by 2050
Undiagnosed cases	An estimated 252 million adults are unaware they have diabetes, highlighting a substantial gap in diagnosis and awareness
Type distribution	Type 2 diabetes accounts for over 90% of all diabetes cases worldwide
Regional burden	Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the majority of the burden, with over 75% of people with diabetes residing in these regions
Mortality	Diabetes is responsible for over 3.4 million deaths annually, equating to one death every 9 seconds
Economic impact	Global health expenditure on diabetes has reached USD 1 trillion, marking a 338% increase over the last 17 years
Risk factors	Key risk factors include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet, smoking, alcohol consumption, hypertension, dyslipidemia, age, genetic predisposition, and family history
COVID-19 impact	The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated diabetes risk factors due to increased sedentary behavior and disrupted healthcare services, leading to higher morbidity and mortality among diabetic patients
Prevention strategies	Primary prevention: Lifestyle interventions, public health education, and community-level initiatives; secondary prevention: Early diagnosis through screening, especially in high-risk populations; tertiary prevention: Comprehensive disease management to prevent complications

LMICs: Low- and middle-income countries; USD: United States Dollar; COVID-19: Coronavirus disease 2019.