Dr. Ahmad Shahzad
Founder | Lyallpur Diabetes Foundation
Consultant Diabetologist | Educator | Advocate for Preventive Care
Diabetes is quickly turning into a major worldwide health issue, yet its effects stretch well beyond just the body. With more people diagnosed every year, the financial strain from care, side effects, and lost work hours climbs too. Rising medical bills, stress on households, alongside pressure on public services show it’s costing more everywhere. Getting a clear picture of these costs helps shape smarter ways to prevent it, handle cases better, plus find savings over time.
The Global Expansion of Diabetes
The worldwide spread of diabetes is turning into a major health emergency that keeps getting worse – cases in adults jumped from 200 million in 1990 to nearly 589 million by 2024, with estimates pointing toward 853 million by 2050. Most of these situations, more than 90%, involve Type 2 diabetes, largely sparked by daily habits and surroundings instead of genetics.
Key Statistics and Trends
- More people than before: across the world, adults aged 20 to 79 saw rates go up from 7% in 1990 to about 11.1% by 2024.
- Some places see faster growth – especially poorer nations where most adults with diabetes live, around 8 out of 10.
- A big worry? Nearly half of adults worldwide who have diabetes don’t even know they’ve got it – so care gets put off, piling on health problems down the line.
- Mortality: In 2024, diabetes caused around 3.4 million deaths worldwide.
- Economic pressure: In 2024, spending on diabetes care alone topped USD 1 trillion, a figure expected to climb further, weighing heavily on countries’ budgets and medical services.
Direct Costs of Diabetes
The direct costs tied to diabetes cover things like medicine and lab checks, along with non-medical needs such as travel and help around the house. Depending on how long someone’s had diabetes, whether complications exist, what treatments they use, or their financial background, expenses can differ a lot. Research indicates that health-related spending – especially on drugs and testing – usually makes up the biggest chunk of these direct expenses.
Components of direct costs
- Direct medical costs: These are the costs for healthcare services and supplies.
- Medications: This is a major component, including insulin and oral antidiabetic drugs.
- Laboratory investigations: Includes blood glucose monitoring, HbA1c tests, and other blood work.
- Hospitalization and doctor visits: Costs associated with consultations, hospital stays, and specialist visits.
- Supplies: Items like test strips, syringes, and other medical devices.
- Direct non-medical costs: These are expenses not related to medical services but are incurred due to the illness.
- Transportation: Costs to and from appointments and pharmacies.
- Home care: Expenses related to in-home health support or supplies used at home.
Indirect Costs of Diabetes
Indirect costs tied to diabetes mean money lost when people can’t work because they’re sick, times when output drops at jobs, or when relatives step in to help without pay. These hit hard economically – missed work piles up, and some may end up too disabled or even die early from complications.
Examples of indirect costs
- Missed work hours add up when people skip jobs for checkups or feel too unwell to function well. That time away hits income hard. On top of that, showing up but struggling to focus drags down performance even more. Some folks manage tasks slower or make more mistakes, which affects overall output.
- Family members or others helping out might need to skip work – or get less done – when caring for someone with diabetes.
- Disability plus mortality: Indirect costs include economic fallout from lasting disability along with early death due to diabetes-related complications.
Cost Burden on Low- and Middle-Income Countries
The price tag of diabetes in poorer nations hits hard – fueled by steep medical bills, particularly for drugs and hospital stays, along with heavy non-medical losses like missed work. Spending on this disease can eat up a big chunk of national income; as more people get diagnosed, costs will climb, piling pressure on stretched health systems and fragile economies.
Direct costs
- Medicine plus care in hospitals – usually these make up the biggest share of medical expenses you pay directly.
- Patients often pay a big chunk of these expenses on their own – this is what people mean by out-of-pocket spending.
- Other medical costs: Things like rides to checkups or extra stuff you need when dealing with diabetes.
Indirect costs
- Work output drops: the biggest hidden expense comes from people not working as a result of sickness, being unable to work, or dying too early.
- Family or friends giving care without pay? That time counts too – adds up when figuring hidden expenses.
Broader economic impact
- GDP impact: Diabetes might take up a big chunk of a nation’s economic output. Take Pakistan – research there put diabetes expenses at 1.67% of GDP, according to MDPI.
- Most money spent on diabetes comes from rich countries; yet, case numbers are climbing fastest in poorer nations – posing bigger financial risks there.
Final Thoughts
Diabetes pushes up medical bills along with public spending because treating the condition never really ends, often leading to serious issues like problems with blood vessels. Doctor trips stack up, meds add up, tests pile on top, hospital stays happen – this hits people hard financially, particularly if their insurance doesn’t cover much. Public funds feel the pressure from bigger health expenses, while insurance companies deal with more payouts and might delay coverage for existing conditions such as diabetes.
