By the Numbers: Sugar spike

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Three decades after diabetes reached epidemic levels, the crisis intensifies

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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828 million

The estimated number of people worldwide living with diabetes in 2022, more than four times higher than in 1990 according to a study published by The Lancet in November. Type 2 diabetes accounts for the majority of cases, which are likely tied to aging populations and modern lifestyle choices contributing to obesity. The sharpest increases were in low- and middle-income countries in South Asia and North Africa where treatment options haven’t kept pace with the growth of the disease.

30.8%

The share of Pakistani males with diabetes according to the Lancet study, compared with 13.6 percent of American males.

59%

The share of diabetic adults 30 years or older in the world who do not receive treatment.

$966 billion

The cost of global diabetes-related health expenditures in 2021 according to a National Institutes of Health study.

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