As global diabetes rates rise, the prevalence of the disease in Canada has stabilized in recent years, with women seeing the most progress, new research suggests. But experts say “it’s still really an epidemic” that needs greater attention. A peer-reviewed study published in The Lancet journal on Wednesday ahead of World Diabetes Day showed that between 1990 and 2022, age-standardized diabetes rates neither increased nor decreased in Canada.
Worldwide, an estimated 828 million people were living with diabetes in 2022 and the global rate of the disease – Type 1 and 2 combined – in adults doubled from seven per cent to 14 per cent over the last three decades. In Canada, there were 1.2 million women and 1.
8 million men living with diabetes in 2022, data showed. With a 5.7 per cent prevalence rate, Canada ranked 15th in the world when it comes to diabetes in women and with an 8.
1 per cent prevalence, Canadian men ranked 35th globally. “It gives us an idea that compared to other similar countries around the world, Canada’s doing a little bit better,” said Calvin Ke, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and study co-author. However, with an aging population driving cases up each year and diabetes still affecting one in 10 people in the country, it’s not all good news for Canada, experts say, adding that more needs to be done to improve rates of diagnosis and prevention.
Lorraine Lipscombe, an endocrinologist at the Women’s College Hospital in Toro.
