A Growing Crisis with Alarming Projections

India is facing an escalating diabetes crisis.

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In 2024, the country has an estimated 89.8 million adults aged 20–79 living with diabetes, giving it the second highest number of diabetic adults in the world. With an age-standardised prevalence of 10.5%, diabetes is no longer a disease of the affluent or elderly—it is a widespread, national concern. Even more troubling is that 43% of these cases remain undiagnosed, meaning approximately 38.6 million adults may be living with diabetes unknowingly.

The toll on human life is already visible. In 2024, diabetes is expected to claim over 334,000 adult lives, accounting for around 5% of all deaths in the 20–79 age group. The incidence rate has climbed sharply from 162.7 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 264.5 per 100,000 in 2021, with projections indicating a continued rise through 2031.