A Detailed Overview of U.S. Diabetes Statistics: Prevalence by Age Group, Racial and Ethnic Disparities, Youth Diagnoses, New Cases, Mortality, Prediabetes, and Economic Costs from the 2024 CDC Report

The Diabetes Epidemic in the United States: Key Statistics

Diabetes remains a significant public health issue in the U.S., affecting millions of people across all demographics. The following statistics are based on the latest CDC 2024 report, documenting the impact of diabetes in 2021.

1. Prevalence of Diabetes in the U.S. (2021)

• Total population affected:

  • 38.4 million Americans (11.6% of the U.S. population) had diabetes.
  • 29.7 million Americans had been diagnosed.
  • 8.7 million adults had undiagnosed diabetes (22.8% of adults with diabetes).

• Seniors (65+ years):

  • 16.5 million individuals (29.2%) had diabetes (diagnosed or undiagnosed).

2. Diabetes in Youth

• Total diagnosed:

  • 352,000 youth under the age of 20 had diabetes (0.35% of the population).

• Annual incidence (2017-2018):

  • 18,200 youth were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
  • 5,300 youth were diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

3. Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Diabetes Prevalence

• Breakdown of Asian American Subgroups:

  • Filipino: 12.2%
  • Asian Indian: 10.8%
  • Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese: 6.1% – 7.1%
  • Other Asian American groups: 8.9%

• Breakdown of Hispanic Subgroups:

  • Puerto Rican: 13.3%
  • Mexican/Mexican American: 11.1%
  • Dominican: 9.4%
  • Cuban: 9.0%
  • Central/South American, Other Hispanic: 5.0% – 7.3%

4. New Cases of Diabetes (2021)

• Annual new cases:

  • 1.2 million Americans were newly diagnosed with diabetes each year.

5. Prediabetes

• Total population affected (2021):

  • 97.6 million American adults (38%) had prediabetes.

• Gender Differences:

  • Men: 41.0% had prediabetes.
  • Women: 32.0% had prediabetes.

6. Diabetes-Related Mortality

• Cause of death (2021):

  • Diabetes was the 8th leading cause of death in the U.S.
  • 103,294 death certificates listed diabetes as the underlying cause of death.
  • Diabetes was mentioned on 399,401 death certificates as a contributing cause.

7. Economic Impact of Diabetes (2022)

• Total cost:
  • $412.9 billion in total costs.
  • $306.6 billion in direct medical costs.
  • $106.3 billion in indirect costs (e.g., lost productivity).

• Average Medical Expenditures:
  • People with diagnosed diabetes had medical costs 2.6 times higher than those without diabetes.

Conclusion

The latest CDC 2024 report highlights that over 38 million Americans, or 11.6% of the population, are living with diabetes. Of these, 8.7 million remain undiagnosed, with seniors (65+) seeing a particularly high prevalence at 29.2%. The economic impact is substantial, with over $412 billion spent annually on diabetes-related costs, including $306.6 billion in direct medical expenses. These figures point to an urgent need for targeted prevention and treatment strategies to reduce both the human and financial toll of this growing epidemic.

References

American Diabetes Association. (n.d.). Statistics About Diabetes. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://diabetes.org/about-diabetes/statistics/about-diabetes

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Data & Research on Diabetes. Retrieved August 25, 2024, from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/