Diabetic Facts

Diabetes Statistics

Incidence of Diagnosed Diabetes in People Younger than 20 Years of Age - 2002 to 2003
SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth is a multicenter study funded by the CDC and the NIH to examine diabetes—type 1 and type 2—among children and adolescents in the United States. SEARCH findings for the communities studied include:

• Based on 2002 to 2003 data, 15,000 youth in the United States were newly diagnosed with type I diabetes annually, and about 3,700 youth were newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes annually.
• The rate of new cases among youth was 19.0 per 100,000 each year for type I diabetes and 5.3 per 100,000 for type 2 diabetes.
• Non-Hispanic white youth had the highest rate of new cases of type 1 diabetes.
• Type 2 diabetes was extremely rare among youth aged < 10 years. While still infrequent, rates were greater among youth aged 10 to 19 years compared with younger children, with higher rates among U.S. minority populations compared with non-Hispanic whites.
• Among non-Hispanic white youth aged 10 to 19 years, the rate of new cases of type I diabetes was higher than for type II diabetes. For Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian youth aged 10 to 19 years, the opposite was true—the rate of new cases of type 2 was greater than the rate for type 1 diabetes. Among African American and Hispanic youth aged 10 to 19 years, the rates of new cases of type 1 and type 2 diabetes were similar.

Source: SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.NHW=Non-Hispanic whites; AA=African Americans; H=Hispanics; API=Asians/Pacific c Islanders; AI=American Indians

Incidence of Diagnosed Diabetes among People Aged 20 Years or Older, United States, 2007
A total of 1.6 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed in people aged 20 years or older in 2007.

Source: SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study. NHW=Non-Hispanic whites; AA=African Americans; H=Hispanics; API=Asians/Pacific Islanders; AI=American Indians

Approximately 14 million Americans (about 5% of the population) have diabetes. Unfortunately, as many as one-half are unaware that they have it.

Almost everyone knows someone who has diabetes. An estimated 20.8 million people in the United States—7.0 percent of the population—have diabetes, a serious, lifelong condition. Of those, 14.6 million have been diagnosed, and 6.2 million have not yet been diagnosed. In 2005, about 1.5 million people aged 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes. For additional statistics, see the National Diabetes Statistics fact sheet online at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics or call the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at 1–800–860–8747 to request a copy.

More than 18.2 million people (or 6.3 percent of the population) in the United States have diabetes. There are two main types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes usually occurs during childhood or adolescence. Type 2 diabetes, which is the most common form of the disease, usually occurs in people who are 45 years of age or older. However, the rate of diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is increasing.

• Many people with diabetes also need to take medications to control their cholesterol and blood pressure.
• Self-management education or training is a key step in improving health outcomes and quality of life. It focuses on self-care behaviors, such as healthy eating, being active, and monitoring blood glucose. It is a collaborative process in which diabetes educators help people with or at risk for diabetes gain the knowledge and problem-solving and coping skills needed to successfully self-manage the disease and its related conditions.

Source: 2004–2006 National Health Interview Survey