One in five UK adults living with diabetes or pre-diabetes

One in five UK adults are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes as diagnoses have reached an all-time high, new data shows.

Charity Diabetes UK called this a “hidden health crisis” and urged the government to act immediately. Some 4.6 million people are now diagnosed with the condition, compared to 4.4 million a year ago.

This includes about 8 per cent with type 1 diabetes, which happens when a person cannot produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body turn glucose into energy.

Some 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes, which happens when the body does not use insulin properly, while 2 per cent have different and rarer forms of the condition. A further 1.3 million are estimated to be living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes UK estimated a further 6.3 million people are living with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, some of whom do not know they have the condition. More commonly known as pre-diabetes, the condition causes higher than normal blood sugars and if untreated can develop into type 2 diabetes.

An open letter to the government from the charity called for those who are living with undiagnosed diabetes to be urgently identified, along with more investment in prevention programmes which promote lifestyle changes.

Separate NHS data released late last year also showed that between 2016-2017 and 2022-2023, there was a 54 per cent increase in the number of people aged up to 25 diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.