Trends and Characteristics in Gestational Diabetes: United States, 2016–2020

Abstract

Objectives—This report presents data on trends for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) among women giving birth in the United States from 2016 through 2020, and rates by selected maternal and newborn characteristics for 2016, 2019, and 2020. Methods—Data are from birth certificates and are based on 100% of births registered in the United States for 2016 through 2020. Descriptive tabulations on trends in GDM rates from 2016 through 2020 and rates by maternal race and Hispanic origin, age, body mass index (BMI), state of residence, and plurality for 2016, 2019, and 2020 are presented. Results—Among women giving birth in 2020, the overall rate of GDM was 7.8 per 100 births, an increase of 30% from 2016. Increases occurred from 2016 to 2020, with a larger annual percent change from 2019 to 2020 (13%) compared with the average annual percent change from 2016 to 2019 (5%) overall and for nearly every characteristic analyzed. In 2020, the rate of GDM varied by maternal race and Hispanic origin; among the six largest race and Hispanic-origin groups, the rate was highest for non-Hispanic Asian (14.9%) and lowest for non-Hispanic Black (6.5%) women. Variation in the GDM rate among the Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic subgroups was also seen. The GDM rate rose with increasing maternal age, prepregnancy BMI, and plurality. By state, for 2020, the GDM rate ranged from a low of 4.7% in Mississippi to a high of 12.6% in Alaska.