Africa
Diabetes regional report 2000 — 2050
Number of adults (20–79 years) with diabetes in Africa (AFR)
| 2000 | 2.5 million |
| 2011 | 14.7 million |
| 2024 | 24.6 million |
| 2050 | 59.5 million |
Estimates are provided for 49 Sub-Saharan African countries and territories in the IDF Africa (AFR) Region. A total of 35 data sources from 27 countries met the inclusion criteria. About half (45%) of the countries in the Region lack high-quality, in-country data sources. Only three countries (Cape Verde, Gambia and Sao Tome and Principe) had studies conducted within the past five years.
Despite the lowest prevalence estimate of 5.0% among IDF Regions, the expected increase in the number of people with diabetes by 2050 is the highest at 142%, reaching 60 million. The AFR Region is also predicted to have the highest increase in the number of people with impaired glucose tolerance and impaired fasting glucose by 2050, reaching 135 million (138% increase) and 88 million (134% increase) respectively. The proportion of undiagnosed diabetes is also highest of all IDF Regions at 72.6%.
Diabetes care receives the lowest level of investment in the Region, with only 10 billion USD spent on diabetes, representing a mere 1% of the total spent worldwide, despite the Region being home to 11.4% of people with diabetes worldwide.
| Diabetes estimates (20-79 y) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People with diabetes, in 1,000s | 2,532.9 | 14,700.0 | 24,585.6 | 59,526.5 |
| Age-standardised prevalence of diabetes, % | 1.2 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 5.9 |
| Proportion of people with undiagnosed diabetes, % | - | - | 72.6 | - |
| People with undiagnosed diabetes, in 1,000s | - | - | 17,860.0 | - |
| Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People with IFG, in 1,000s | - | - | 37,617.8 | 88,137.6 |
| Age-standardised prevalence of IFG, % | - | - | 6.6 | 7.4 |
| Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People with IGT, in 1,000s | - | 32,800.0 | 56,811.6 | 135,052.9 |
| Age-standardised prevalence of IGT, % | - | 9.7 | 11.5 | 13.7 |
| Mortality attributable to diabetes (20-79 y) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths attributable to diabetes | - | 344,500.0 | 215,836.1 | - |
| Proportion of diabetes-related deaths in people 20-79 y, % | - | - | 4.0 | - |
| Hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) (20-49 y) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Live births affected by HIP | - | - | 4,669,138.6 | - |
| Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), % | - | - | 10.8 | - |
| Live births affected by other types of diabetes first detected in pregnancy | - | - | 748,278.1 | - |
| Live births affected by other types of diabetes detected prior to pregnancy | - | - | 286,320.0 | - |
| Diabetes-related health expenditure | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total diabetes-related health expenditure, USD million | - | 2,800.0 | 9,931.9 | 17,972.7 |
| Total diabetes-related health expenditure, ID million | - | - | 33,309.2 | 63,888.4 |
| Diabetes-related health expenditure per person, USD | - | 762.7 | 414.3 | 310.2 |
| Diabetes-related health expenditure per person, ID | - | - | 1,389.5 | 1,102.6 |
| Type 1 diabetes estimates in children and adolescents | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| People with type 1 diabetes (all age groups) | - | - | 351,955.0 | - |
| People with type 1 diabetes (0-19 y) | 9,500.0 | - | 98,163.0 | - |
| Demographics | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total adult population (20-79 y), in 1,000s | 217,888.0 | 387,000.0 | 581,299.6 | 1,194,944.7 |
| Population of children and adolescents (0-19 y) | - | - | 640,672,663.0 | - |
| Diabetes estimates (20-79 y) | |
|---|---|
| People with diabetes, in 1,000s | 2,532.9 |
| Age-standardised prevalence of diabetes, % | 1.2 |
| Proportion of people with undiagnosed diabetes, % | - |
| People with undiagnosed diabetes, in 1,000s | - |
| Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) | |
|---|---|
| People with IFG, in 1,000s | - |
| Age-standardised prevalence of IFG, % | - |
| Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT) | |
|---|---|
| People with IGT, in 1,000s | - |
| Age-standardised prevalence of IGT, % | - |
| Mortality attributable to diabetes (20-79 y) | |
|---|---|
| Deaths attributable to diabetes | - |
| Proportion of diabetes-related deaths in people 20-79 y, % | - |
| Hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) (20-49 y) | |
|---|---|
| Live births affected by HIP | - |
| Prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), % | - |
| Live births affected by other types of diabetes first detected in pregnancy | - |
| Live births affected by other types of diabetes detected prior to pregnancy | - |
| Diabetes-related health expenditure | |
|---|---|
| Total diabetes-related health expenditure, USD million | - |
| Total diabetes-related health expenditure, ID million | - |
| Diabetes-related health expenditure per person, USD | - |
| Diabetes-related health expenditure per person, ID | - |
| Type 1 diabetes estimates in children and adolescents | |
|---|---|
| People with type 1 diabetes (all age groups) | - |
| People with type 1 diabetes (0-19 y) | 9,500.0 |
| Demographics | |
|---|---|
| Total adult population (20-79 y), in 1,000s | 217,888.0 |
| Population of children and adolescents (0-19 y) | - |
