Why Diabetes?
Diabetes is one of the greatest health challenges of the 21st Century - and it's hitting low- and middle-income countries the hardest
81% of people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries. That’s 435 million people living with diabetes where financial and human resources are scarce.

IDF Diabetes Atlas, 10 ed. Brussels, Belgium: International Diabetes Federation; 2021


Diabetes is imposing large and preventable costs on already stretched healthcare systems. 

Marginalised, vulnerable and underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) continue to be impacted disproportionately by diabetes and its complications. Yet responses remain under-resourced, both from domestic resources and development assistance. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) receive less than 2% of development assistance for health.

Fortunately, the global response to NCDs has gained momentum in recent years. A series of global political commitments has been made, including the:

The growing burden and the lack of financing has increased the call for philanthropies to contribute more to NCD prevention and care, in alignment with national and global policies and frameworks.

Since 2002, WDF-funded projects have responded to this urgent need by putting diabetes on the agenda and strengthening diabetes prevention and care worldwide.