Overview

Diabetes is a chronic condition marked by high levels of glucose in the blood. The main types of diabetes are type 1, type 2 and gestational. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form, and is largely preventable by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Latest findings

Diabetes contributed to 11% of Australian deaths in 2018 (16,700 deaths) (underlying or associated cause) Diabetes death and hospitalisation rates in Remote and very remote areas were two-times the rate in Major cities Socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with higher diabetes (prevalence, hospitalisation and death) rates 17,000 people started insulin to manage their type 2 diabetes—4,200 cases per 100,000 people with type 2 diabetes. Just over 2,800 people were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes—12 cases per 100,000 population. In 2018, about 31,300 people began using insulin to treat their diabetes in Australia. Around 1.2 million hospitalisations were associated with diabetes in 2017–18 (principal and/or additional diagnosis) 1,700 (60%) people diagnosed with type 1 diabetes were aged under 25. An estimated 1.2 million Australians (4.9% of the total population) had diabetes in 2017–18, based on self-reported data Type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes accounted for 2.2% and 0.3% of Australia’s disease burden respectively in 2015 An estimated 1.2 million Australians (4.9% of the total population) had diabetes in 2017–18, based on self-reported data

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Highlights

1 in 20 Australian adults (5%)—about 1.2 million people—had diabetes in 2017–18, based on self-reported data
Just over 1 in 10Australian deaths in 2018 had diabetes as an underlying or associated cause of death—16,700 deaths
Indigenous Australians were around 4 times as likely to have type 2 diabetes prevalence, hospitalisation and death rates as non-Indigenous Australians
Remote and very remoteareas had diabetes hospitalisation and death rates that were at least 2 times as high as Major cities
31,300people started using insulin in 2018 to treat their diabetes
The lowest socioeconomic areas had diabetes hospitalisation and death rates that were 2 times as high as the highest socioeconomic areas
1.2 millionhospitalisations were associated with diabetes (principal and/or additional diagnosis) in 2017–18—11% of all hospitalisations in Australia
Type 2 diabeteswas the 12th largest contributor to Australia’s disease burden in 2015 (2.2% of total burden)