How Many People Have Diabetes?
According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 18.2 million people in the United States – or 6.3 percent of the population – who have diabetes. An estimated 13 million have been diagnosed, but 5.2 million people are unaware that they have the disease. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, contributing to more than 213,000 deaths annually. Morbidity and mortality due to diabetes has made this disease a significant public health problem and led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recently declare the disease an epidemic in the United States.
A. It is estimated that more than 16 million individuals in the U.S. have diabetes, and over half are undiagnosed. For reasons that are not yet understood, the disease attacks minority populations disproportionately. Hispanics, Native Americans and African Americans experience a higher rate of diabetes.
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 or call the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse at 1–800–860–8747 to request a copy.
Prevalenceof Diagnosed and Undiagnosed Diabetes in the United States, All Ages, 2007 Total: 23.6 million people—7.8 percent of the population—have diabetes. Diagnosed: 17.9 million people Undiagnosed: 5.7 million people Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes in People Younger than 20 Years of Age, United States, 2007 About 186,300 people younger than 20 years have diabetes—type 1 or type 2. This represents 0.2 percent of all people in this age group. Estimates of undiagnosed diabetes are unavailable for this age group.
