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.

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Latest findings

Diabetes death and hospitalisation rates in Remote and very remote areas were two-times the rate in Major cities

Type 2 diabetes and type 1 diabetes accounted for 2.2% and 0.3% of Australia’s disease burden respectively in 2015

Around 1.2 million hospitalisations were associated with diabetes in 2017–18 (principal and/or additional diagnosis)

In 2017–18, an estimated 5.4% (or 1 million) Australian adults had type 2 diabetes, based on self-reported data

In 2017–18, 43,100 (16%) mothers aged 15–49 who gave birth in hospital were diagnosed with gestational diabetes

Prevalence of overweight and obesity among Australian adults increased steadily from 50% in 2001 to 67% in 2017–18

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
30,800people started using insulin in 2019 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)