HbA1c result – type 2 diabetes (PI06)

This indicator is the proportion of First Nations regular clients with type 2 diabetes who had an HbA1c  measurement result recorded within the previous 6 months or within the previous 12 months as either (mmol/mol):

  • ≤53 (≤7%)
  • >53–≤64 (>7%–≤8%)
  • >64–<86 (>8%–<10%)
  • ≥86 (≥10%).

It is collected for males and females in age groups from 0–4 to 65 and over, and presented here for males and females in age groups:

  • under 35
  • 35–44
  • 45–54
  • 55–64
  • 65 and over.

Why HbA1c result is important

The HbA1c (haemoglobin A1c or glycated haemoglobin) blood test gives an indication of whether blood glucose levels have been higher than normal over the preceding 6–8 weeks by looking at how much sugar (glucose) is bound in red blood cells. It is regarded as the gold standard for assessing glycaemic control.

People who have type 2 diabetes need this test regularly to see if their levels are staying within range and whether they need to adjust their diabetes management. The general glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) target in people with type 2 diabetes is ≤53 mmol/mol (≤7%) (RACGP 2025).

At June 2025:

  • 43% (or around 11,000) of First Nations regular clients with type 2 diabetes had an HbA1c measurement result of ≤53 mmol/mol recorded within the previous 6 months
  • 44% (or around 14,700) had an HbA1c measurement result of ≤53 mmol/mol recorded within the previous 12 months (Figure 36).

The data visualisation below (Figure 36) shows, for each collection period from June 2017 to June 2025, the proportion of First Nations regular clients with type 2 diabetes who had an HbA1c measurement result recorded by range and by when the result was recorded. Select by either:

  • organisation type
  • remoteness
  • state/territory
  • age group/sex

to see data for that breakdown.

Data tables supporting this visualisation are available at Data.

Figure 36: HbA1c result – type 2 diabetes – by collection period and time period

Overall, the proportion of First Nations regular clients with type 2 diabetes who had an HbA1c measurement result of less than or equal to 53 mmol/mol recorded within the previous 6 months generally increased between December 2022 and June 2025.

Overall, the proportion of First Nations regular clients with type 2 diabetes who had an HbA1c measurement result of less than or equal to 53 mmol/mol recorded within the previous 6 months generally increased between December 2022 and June 2025.

Notes

  1. Breaks are included to separate out the periods most affected by voluntary reporting and the peak of COVID-19 and associated emergency response measures. This break, however, is not a clean break as each indicator in the nKPI collection has an assigned time frame (a reference period) as part of its specification. For this indicator, which has a reference period of either 6 or 12 months, data in the December 2022 collection period for the reference period of 12 months (covering 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2022) still overlaps with the peak of COVID-19 and associated emergency response measures. For more information see Comparisons over time.
  2. The linear trend lines provide a general impression of the direction of the data. Caution should be taken interpreting trends with less than 5 data points. See also Figure 31 for trends for selected data.
  3. For more information, including on interpreting changes over time, see Technical notes.

Reference

RACGP (The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners) (2025) Management of type 2 diabetes: a handbook for general practice, RACGP, accessed 17 October 2025.

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