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How Many Americans Are Diagnosed With Diabetes?

Diabetes, a disease characterized by a resistance to or lack of production of insulin that results in high blood glucose, is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly 24 million Americans, or eight percent of the population, have the disease. Many more go undiagnosed.

  1. The Facts

    • The CDC reports that in 2007, approximately 1.6 million adults 20 years or older are diagnosed each year, and 5.7 percent of the population remain undiagnosed.

    Gender

    • Men have slightly higher incidences of diabetes than women. According to CDC, 12 million men are affected by the disease (11.2 percent of all men aged 20 or older), while 11.5 million women are affected (10.2 percent of women).

    Types

    • Type 1 diabetes, the form typically diagnosed in children, affects five to ten percent of the population. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of diabetes in Americans, affects 90 to 95 percent of the population. The American Diabetes Association reports that 135,000 pregnant women are diagnosed annually with gestational diabetes, and 40 percent of this population will go on to develop Type 2 diabetes.

    Age

    • Type 2 diabetes is more common in the elderly. Of American adults diagnosed, 12.2 million are 60 years of age or older. Roughly 186,000 children and adolescents under age 20 are diagnosed each year.

    Race and Ethnicity

    • Women from non-hispanic Black, Hispanic/Latino American, American Indian, and Asian/Pacific Islander backgrounds are twice to four times as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. while Type 1 diabetes is more prevalent in Caucasians than in other ethnic groups.

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