Pakistan’s Diabetes Crisis Deepens as 34.5 Million Live With the Disease

Pakistan is facing a deepening diabetes emergency, with 34.5 million adults now living with the disease — nearly one in three adults in the country. The figures come from the International Diabetes Federation’s Diabetes Atlas, which gives Pakistan the highest age-standardised diabetes rate in the world. Doctors warn the burden is spreading fast among younger people, and health officials are calling for stronger prevention, earlier diagnosis and a nationwide screening drive as World Diabetes Day approaches.

FAKTA

• People affected: 34.5 million adults in Pakistan live with diabetes (IDF Diabetes Atlas, 2024)
• Prevalence: 31.4% of adults — the highest age-standardised rate in the world
• Undiagnosed: about 9.3 million people have diabetes without knowing it
• Deaths: more than 200,000 diabetes-related deaths a year, according to the IDF
• Projection: 70.2 million cases by 2050 without stronger action
• Screening plan: Rs6.8 billion proposed for a nationwide programme

A burden reaching younger people

The crisis is no longer confined to older adults. A growing share of cases is appearing among young people, and specialists report early onset of type 2 diabetes in patients still in their late teens and twenties. Unhealthy diets, sedentary lifestyles, obesity and stress are among the drivers named by doctors, along with a large pool of undiagnosed cases that surface only after complications have set in. Diabetes raises the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, vision loss and amputation, and the federation estimates that it already claims more than 200,000 lives in Pakistan each year.

Government plans screening and prevention

Minister of State for National Health Services Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Malik described diabetes as more than a health problem, calling it a major economic and development challenge. Speaking at an event organised by the Pakistan National Heart Association, he backed a proposed National Diabetes and Noncommunicable Diseases Conclave and pledged institutional support for it. The centrepiece of the official response is the Prime Minister’s Programme for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes Mellitus, with a proposed allocation of Rs6.8 billion for nationwide screening. The programme is set to begin in Islamabad before expanding to the provinces, aiming to find patients earlier and connect them with care.

Officials also backed evidence-based food policies, including health taxes on sugary drinks, warning labels on food packaging and limits on marketing unhealthy food to children, alongside stronger primary healthcare, screening and referral services. The minister also pointed to the link between mental health, stress and diabetes, and called for more research and for mental health support to be built into prevention programmes.

Early action in focus

World Diabetes Day falls on 14 November, and health groups in Pakistan are using the occasion to press for earlier action, from wider testing to healthier food environments. With one in three adults affected and millions still undiagnosed, officials say the cost of waiting will be measured in lives and in a health system already under strain. More health coverage is available on Watan News.