Diabetes

According to the National (insulin-treated) Diabetes Register (NDR), there were 2,800 new cases (incidence) of type 1 diabetes in Australia in 2018, equating to 12 cases per 100,000 population.

Trends

There were around 47,800 new cases of type 1 diabetes diagnosed between 2000 and 2018—an average of 7 new cases per day.

Incidence rates of type 1 diabetes remained relatively stable between 2000 and 2018, fluctuating between 11 and 13 new cases per 100,000 population. During this period, the incidence rate for 0–14 year olds was, on average, 1.4 times as high as for those aged 15–24, and 3.6 times as high as for those aged 25 and over (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trends in incidence of type 1 diabetes, by age group and sex, 2000 to 2018

Age and sex

In 2018:

• The incidence rate of type 1 diabetes was higher in males than females (14 and 10 per 100,000 population, respectively).
• Almost 3 in 5 (60%) new cases of type 1 diabetes were among children and young people aged under 25.
• The peak age group of diagnosis was 10–14 (36 and 32 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively) —more than 5 times the rate at ages 35–39 (10 and 4 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively) and more than 10 times the rate for those aged 75 and over (5 and 1 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively) (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Incidence in type 1 diabetes, by age group at diagnosis and sex, 2018

Variations between population groups

According to the NDR, the incidence of type 1 diabetes in 2018 was similar both by level of remoteness and level of socioeconomic disadvantage. The numbers ranged from:

• 11 per 100,000 population in Major cities, 14 per 100,000 population living in Inner regional and Outer regional areas to 9 per 100,000 population in Remote and very remote areas.
• 11 per 100,000 population living in the highest socioeconomic areas to 12 per 100,000 population living in the lowest socioeconomic areas (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Incidence in type 1 diabetes, by remoteness and socioeconomic areas, 2018

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people

According to the NDR, in 2018, there were 129 new cases of type 1 diabetes among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, equating to 16 cases per 100,000 population.

After adjusting for differences in the age structures between the populations, the incidence rate of type 1 diabetes was similar among Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous Australians (12 and 11 cases per 100,000, respectively).

Prevalence of type 1 diabetes among children and young adults

There are currently no national data on the total number of cases (prevalence) of type 1 diabetes at all ages, but there are estimates for children and young adults. According to the NDR, around 20,700 children and young adults aged 0–24 had type 1 diabetes in 2018. This equates to 261 per 100,000 population, with a slightly higher rate among males compared with females (266 and 256 per 100,000 population, respectively).

In 2018, more than two-thirds (67%) of children and young adults with type 1 diabetes were aged 15–24 years (Figure 4). Overall, prevalence rates for type 1 diabetes among children and young adults have remained steady since 2013 (between 261 and 264 per 100,000 population).

Figure 4: Prevalence of type 1 diabetes among children and young adults, by age group and sex, 2018

In 2018, the prevalence of type 1 diabetes among children and young adults varied between population groups.

Prevalence rates:

• were higher in Inner regional and Outer regional areas (169 and 149 per 100,000 population, respectively) compared with Major cities  and Remote and very remote areas (134 and 86 per 100,000, respectively).
• fluctuated across socioeconomic areas, and slightly higher overall among the lowest compared with the highest socioeconomic areas (263 and 235 per 100,000, respectively) (Figure 5).

Among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young adults aged 0–24, there were 208 cases of type 1 diabetes per 100,000 population in 2018. After adjusting for differences in the age structure of the populations, Indigenous children and young adults were less likely to have type 1 diabetes as their non-Indigenous counterparts (197 and 232 per 100,000, respectively).

Figure 5: Prevalence of type 1 diabetes, children and young adults aged 0–24, by remoteness and socioeconomic areas, 2018