Diabetes was the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. in 2015.

More than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, according to a new report released today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report finds that as of 2015, 30.3 million Americans – 9.4% of the U.S. population –have diabetes. Another 84.1 million have prediabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years.

The report confirms that the rate of new diabetes diagnoses remains steady. However, the disease continues to represent a growing health problem. It also includes county-level data for the first time, and shows that some areas of the country bear a heavier diabetes burden than others.

Key findings from the National Diabetes Statistics Report

The report finds that:

  • In 2015, an estimated 1.5 million new cases of diabetes were diagnosed among people ages 18 and older.
  • Nearly 1 in 4 four adults living with diabetes – 7.2 million Americans – didn’t know they had the condition. Only 11.6% of adults with prediabetes knew they had it.
  • Rates of diagnosed diabetes increased with age. Among adults ages 18-44, 4% had diabetes. Among those ages 45-64 years, 17% had diabetes. And among those ages 65 years and older, 25% had diabetes.

Rates of diagnosed diabetes were higher among American Indians/Alaska Natives (15.1%), non-Hispanic blacks (12.7%), and Hispanics (12.1%), compared to Asians (8.0%) and non-Hispanic whites (7.4%).

Other differences include:

  • Diabetes prevalence varied significantly by education. Among U.S. adults with less than a high school education, 12.6% had diabetes.   Among those with a high school education, 9.5% had diabetes; and among those with more than a high school education, 7.2% had diabetes.
  • More men (36.6%) had prediabetes than women (29.3%). Rates were similar among women and men across racial/ethnic groups or educational levels.
  • The southern and Appalachian areas of the United States had the highest rates of diagnosed diabetes and of new diabetes cases.

 

 

For more information about diabetes and CDC’s diabetes prevention efforts, visit http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes.

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