One-in-ten adults living with diabetes by 2030

Diabetes UK has predicted that, without significant government action, up to 5.5 million people in the UK could be living with diabetes by 2030.

Based on analysis of statistics from Public Health England and The Association of Public Health Observatories, the warning means that as many as one-in-ten UK adults could be living with diabetes within a decade.  

Furthermore, up to 17 million people, which translates as one-in-three UK adults, could be at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 2030, unless there's commitment from the governments of the UK to urgently invest in diabetes care and prevention.

Specifically, Diabetes UK is calling on the government to make more funding available to enable more people to avoid a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes through increasing access to proven preventative measures, such as the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, as well as support far more people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to go into remission where possible.

In addition to this, the charity is also seeking an improvement to weight management services and more work to ensure that everyone has the access to the care and diabetes checks they need – including tackling the backlog – as we move out of the pandemic.

Chris Askew, Diabetes UK chief executive, said: "Every diagnosis of diabetes is life-changing. The relentlessness of the condition, and the ever-present fear of serious and life-altering complications is a lifelong reality for millions of families across the UK. It’s a sobering thought then that, if we don’t act today, hundreds of thousands more will face the life-changing news that they have type 2 diabetes. We’re at the tipping point of a public health emergency, and need action today to stop it in its tracks.

“But it doesn’t have to be this way – we know that with the right care and support, diabetes complications can be avoided, and cases of type 2 diabetes can be put into remission, or prevented altogether. We don’t want our prediction to become a reality. What we need to see is the will, grit and determination from government to halt this crisis in its tracks, and improve the future health of our nation for generations to come."