Prevalence of Diabetes

• More than 120 million people are affected by diabetes, world - wide and the figure is rising.
• About 1.6 million people have been diagnosed with diabetes in the UK.
• About 10% of all people with diabetes have Type I disease.
• The last 30 years has seen a 3 - fold increase in the number of Juvenile onset diabetes (Type I).
• The highest rates of Type I diabetes are in Finland, Sardinia and other Northern European countries.
• The annual increase in diabetes in Europe is around 3 - 4% being most obvious in children under the age of 5 years.
• About 10 -15% of people older than 70 have type II disease.
• Type II Diabetes is 3 to 4 times more prevalent in people of African and Caribbean ancestry. It is 4 to 7 times more prevalent in those of Hispanic American origin and those from South Asia and Arabia (who live Western lifestyles) than white Europeans.
• There is an overall prevalence of around 2% of Type II Diabetes in the UK population.
• 10% of people with Type I Diabetes have a family history of diabetes while for the Type II it is 30%.