Diabetes in sub-saharan Africa

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes is a global problem with major public health and socioeconomic challenges. From recent estimates of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) [1], the number of adults with diabetes in the world currently stands at 415 million with a projected rise to 642 million by 2040. An estimated 14.2 (9.5-29.4‡) million people aged 20-79 have diabetes in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, representing a regional prevalence of 2.1-6.7 %‡. SSA has the highest proportion of undiagnosed cases of diabetes; over two-thirds (66.7 %) of people with diabetes are unaware of their status. The majority of people with diabetes (58.8 %) live in cities, even though the population in the region (61.3 %) is predominantly rural. With increasing urbanisation and population ageing, diabetes will pose an even greater threat. It is expected that by 2040 there will be 34.2 million adults in the region living with diabetes, more than double the number in 2015 [1].