Professor Peter Schwarz
President, International Diabetes Federation
Diabetes has become one of the greatest global health challenges. We must respond to this silent pandemic with the urgency and collaboration it demands.
Diabetes is no longer a looming threat — it’s a full-blown global health crisis.
Global diabetes crisis escalates
According to the latest Diabetes Atlas from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), over 250 million adults worldwide are living with undiagnosed diabetes, most of them with type 2 diabetes. These are people who may only discover their condition because they already have serious complications like kidney failure, cardiovascular disease, nerve damage or vision loss. These could have been prevented with early detection and treatment.
The burden is heaviest in low and middle-income countries, where three out of four people with diabetes live. These countries often lack the infrastructure for routine screening or long-term care. IDF projections predict that more than 850 million people will be living with diabetes by 2050. That’s nearly 1 in 10 people on the planet.
In 2024 alone, diabetes-related healthcare
spending topped $1 trillion globally.
Diabetes prevention policies
This is not just a health issue; it’s an economic one. In 2024 alone, diabetes-related healthcare spending topped $1 trillion globally, according to the IDF Diabetes Atlas. We need to shift the conversation from treatment to prevention. That means investing in accessible screening programmes, especially in underserved communities. It means educating the public about risk factors like poor diet, lack of exercise and family history. It means using digital tools to help people monitor and manage their health.
Most importantly, it means political will. Governments must step up. We need policies that make healthy food more affordable than junk food. We need urban planning that encourages walking and cycling.
Lifestyle programmes and digital interventions
Landmark studies and real-world evidence confirm that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed through culturally adapted lifestyle programmes and digital interventions. We now have scalable, cost-effective models that can be implemented, even in low-resource settings. We have the tools, and we have the knowledge. What we need now is the courage and the political will to act before another 250 million people slip through the cracks.
