Global healthcare expenditure due to diabetes in 2007, 2024, and 2050

Between 2024 and 2050 the global expenditures for diabetes treatment is expected to grow from around 1.02 trillion U.S. dollars to around 1.04 trillion U.S. dollars. Diabetes can have life-threatening cardiovascular, renal and nervous system consequences when left untreated. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Diabetes overview

Diabetes is a chronic illness that affects the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin or how the body uses insulin. Insulin is a hormone that acts on blood glucose levels. There are several types of diabetes including type I, type II and gestational diabetes. Diabetes can be treated through daily insulin injections and/or oral medication. Diagnosis and monitoring of diabetes can be done through blood glucose monitoring. Recent studies indicate that among all regions, Africa and the Western Pacific have the highest percentages of undiagnosed diabetes globally.

Diabetes health care costs

Among all countries worldwide, the United States and China have some of the highest diabetes medical expenditures. When compared to one another, the United States had diabetes health care expenditures over two times higher than China in 2024. However, Switzerland has the highest health care expenditures per diabetic patient as of 2024, followed by the United States and Norway.