You are here:

  • Print

About diabetes

Diabetes mellitus is a major problem that significantly affects the health of Australians.

This page presents the latest statistics on diabetes in Australia.

Diabetes Mellitus thumbnailDiabetes mellitus is a National Health Priority Area (NHPA)

Diabetes mellitus was declared a National Health Priority Area in 1997 because of its impact on the Australian community.

 
Diabetes: the facts

4% of Australians have diabetes

4%

of Australians have diabetes. That's around 898,000 people.

This rate has risen from 1.5% in 1989.

Incidence of insulin-treated diabetes in Australia

222,544

people began using insulin to treat their diabetes (2000-2009).

1 in 20 preganancies are affected by diabetes

1 in 20

pregnancies are affected by diabetes.

That was 44,000 women between 2005 and 2007.

12.8 per cent of Indigenous people have diabetes

3 to 1

The proportion of people with diabetes in the Indigenous population compared to the proportion of people with diabetes in the non-Indigenous population.

Over half of adults are overweight or obese

Over half

of adults are overweight or obese, which puts them at greater risk for diabetes.

3 in 5 people with diabetes also have cvd

3 in 5

of people with diabetes also have cardiovascular disease.

7.2 million scripts for diabetes management in 2011

7.2 million

pharmaceutical scripts were claimed for diabetes medicines in 2011. The number of scripts claimed per year has been increasing.

$990 million was spent on diabetes in 2004-05

$990 million

was spent on treating diabetes in 2004–05.

That's 1.9% of all health expenditure.