Diabetes

Diabetes is characterised by high blood glucose levels and has become increasingly prominent in the health debate in recent years. The rate of doctor-diagnosed diabetes among adults has risen from 2% in 1994 to 7% in 2018.

Adults

Adults with doctor-diagnosed diabetes

Source: NHS Digital

Base: Adults aged 16 and over

The rate of doctor-diagnosed diabetes has increased since 1994, from 2% to 7% in 2019.

Rates of doctor-diagnosed diabetes are slightly higher for men than women.

The increasing prevalence of doctor-diagnosed diabetes is particularly marked among older age groups. Among adults aged between 65 and 74, the rate of doctor-diagnosed diabetes rose from 5% in 1994 to 16% in 2019, and for those aged 75 and over the increase was from 6% to 17% over the same period.

Notes: The HSE data makes no distinction between type 1 and type 2 diabetes because of changing patterns of the disease.

Year-on-year fluctuations may not indicate real changes and can be within the margins of sampling error. We comment only on the changes that are more likely to reflect a real change.

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