The fifth edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas

The 5th edition of the Diabetes Atlas was officially released on World Diabetes Day 14 November 2011. The Atlas is the most up-to-date global report on diabetes, covering all aspects of the disease from epidemiology to health economics and education.

The evidence presented in previous editions of the IDF Diabetes Atlas has been used widely by news media, governments, and international organisations such as the World Bank, the World Health Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the World Economic Forum. Estimates from the 4th edition were instrumental in providing the evidence to drive the unanimous adoption of the resolution for the September 2011 UN High-level Meeting on Non-communicable Diseases. This summit will ensure that non-communicable diseases such as diabetes will no longer simply be a footnote on the global health agenda.

In this edition of the IDF Diabetes Atlas, the estimated number of adults living with diabetes has soared to 366 million, representing 8.3% of the global adult population. This number is projected to increase to 552 million people by 2030, or 9.9% of adults, which equates to approximately three more people with diabetes every 10 seconds. These estimates are considerably higher than those reported in the 4th edition, largely due to new data available from China, the Middle East, and Africa.

The estimates confirm that diabetes continues to disproportionately affect the socially disadvantaged, and is increasing especially rapidly in low- and middle-income countries. The main drivers of the epidemic are economic development and urbanisation, which bring changes in lifestyle, and increasing life expectancy. The health systems in many of these countries are not currently equipped to meet the rising demand of diabetes and non-communicable diseases.

The Diabetes Atlas will be used by the World Diabetes Foundation, the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization to communicate the global impact of diabetes and underline the need for immediate intervention from governments, healthcare professionals, international health organisations and other bodies.

The Diabetes Atlas is a unique resource on diabetes for a wide range of audiences including decision-makers, public health authorities, health organizations, healthcare professionals, the pharmaceutical industry, and media. It covers a wide spectrum of topics, from epidemiology to economics.

Facts: The global burden 

The Diabetes Atlas is available in English, French and Spanish at the IDF website.