Diabetes is a common condition and its frequency is dramatically rising all over the world. In 2000, there were 171 million people with diabetes worldwide, and by 2030 this figure is expected to more than double, to reach a total of 366 million. Most of this increase will occur as a result of a 150% rise in developing countries. For example, in India there were approximately 32 million people with diabetes in 2000, but by 2030 this number is expected to increase to almost 80 million. These figures appear in the booklet Diabetes Action Now, which contains details about the WHO-IDF programme, key facts and figures about diabetes, and profiles and statements from people with diabetes around the world. The booklet is available in print or via the Diabetes Programme web site.

1 These estimates are based on relative differences in risk of death between people with diabetes and those without. They include deaths where diabetes would have been the underlying cause of death or would have been mentioned as a contributory condition on the medical certificate of cause of death.