Gestational diabetes

According to the National Hospital Morbidity Database, in 2017–18, around 1 in 6 females, aged 15–49 who gave birth in hospital, were diagnosed with gestational diabetes (16.1% or 43,100 women) (Figure 1).

The incidence rate for gestational diabetes increased with age, peaking at 31% for females aged 45–49 (Figure 2).

Between 2000–01 and 2017–18, the rate of females diagnosed with gestational diabetes in Australia tripled, from 5.2% to 16.1% (Figure 1). However, new diagnostic guidelines are likely to have had an impact on the number diagnosed with gestational diabetes in recent years, so caution should be taken when comparing rates over time.

Figure 1: Incidence of gestational diabetes, 2000–01 to 2017–18

The chart shows the incidence of gestational diabetes among females aged 15–49 in Australia from 2000–01 to 2017–18. Rates remained steady (between 5% and 6%) until 2012–13. The rate more than tripled between 2011–12 and 2017–18 to around 16%. Caution should be taken when comparing rates over time however, as this period saw the introduction of new diagnostic criteria, which, in addition to increasing risk factors in the population, is likely to have influenced the numbers of females being diagnosed.

Points in the chart indicate the timing of relevant events leading up to the changing diagnostic criteria. These include the publication of the HAPO Study in 2008, the development of new IADPSG guidelines in 2010, the establishment of the NGDR in 2011, the endorsement of the IADPSG guidelines by WHO in 2013 and ADIPS in 2014.

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Figure 2: Incidence of gestational diabetes, by age group, 2017–18

This figure shows the incidence of gestational diabetes by age group in 2017–18. Incidence rates increased steadily from 7 females per 100,000 in the 15–19 age group to 31 females per 100,000 women in the 45–49 age group.

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Variations between population groups

In 2017–18, the incidence of gestational diabetes was:

  • similar by remoteness area.
  • increased with the level of socioeconomic disadvantage. Females living in the lowest socioeconomic areas were 1.6 times as likely to be diagnosed with gestational diabetes as those living in the highest socioeconomic areas (21% and 13%, respectively) (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Incidence of gestational diabetes, by remoteness and socioeconomic area, 2017–18

This figure shows the incidence of gestational diabetes by remoteness area and socioeconomic area in 2017–18. Rates were similar by remoteness area yet increased with the level of disadvantage from around 13% in the least disadvantaged areas up to 21% in the most disadvantaged areas.

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Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females

In 2017–18, there were just over 1,700 new cases of gestational diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females, equating to 13% of Indigenous females aged 15–49 who gave birth in an Australian hospital.

After adjusting for differences in the age structure of the populations, the incidence rate among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander females was similar to the rate among non-Indigenous females (17% and 16%, respectively).