‘900 million people will have diabetes by 2050, strong steps needed to slow progression’, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• The International Diabetes Federation projects that the number of people with diabetes will rise from approximately 500 million in 2024 to nearly 900 million by 2050.
• In 2024, 11.11% of the global population, or over 580 million adults, had diabetes.
• Projections estimate that by 2050, 12.96% of the population, exceeding 850 million people, will be affected by diabetes.
• China and India currently have the highest number of people with diabetes, with approximately 148 million and 90 million respectively.

Detailed Insights:

• The study, published in Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, emphasizes the urgent need for stronger interventions to curb the unchecked progression of the diabetes epidemic.
• In 2024, a higher number of individuals with diabetes resided in urban areas (400 million) compared to rural areas (189 million), a trend expected to persist through 2050.
• While the number of diabetes cases is expected to rise in urban centers to 655 million by 2050, the number in rural areas is projected to remain relatively stable at 198 million.
• By 2050, Pakistan is projected to climb to the third position in the list of countries with the highest diabetes burden, following China and India.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Diabetes: A chronic metabolic disorder characterized by elevated blood sugar levels.
• Epidemic: A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.