Diabetes: Nigeria Ranks 37 As Mauritius, Egypt Top Prevalence List In Africa

Mauritius and Egypt have the highest diabetes prevalence in Africa at 22.60 percent and 20.90 percent respectively, according to statistics from Our World In Data.

Nigeria has 3.60 percent diabetes prevalence, making it the 37th highest in Africa, ahead of 17 countries, including Gambia and Benin with 1.90 percent and 1.10 percent prevalence respectively.

Our World In Data analysed the percentage of people living with diabetes between ages 20 and 79 in 211 countries in 2021, with data from International Diabetes Federation (IDF).

Other African countries with high diabetes prevalence include Sudan (18.90 percent), Tanzania (12.30 percent),  Zambia (11.90 percent) and Morocco (9.10 percent).

The IDF Diabetes Atlas 10th Edition estimates that 24 million adults aged 20-79 years were living with diabetes in the Africa Region in 2021.

This figure is estimated to increase to 33 million by 2030 and 55 million by 2045, according to the report.

It also revealed that 13 million adults living with diabetes in the IDF Africa region are undiagnosed , adding that diabetes was responsible for 416,000 deaths in the IDF Africa Region in 2021.

Meanwhile, recent data estimates that about six million of adult Nigerians are living with diabetes. However, medical experts have opined that this figure may be far from reality as estimated two-third of diabetes cases in the country were undiagnosed, resulting in an increase in the burden of diabetes complications and deaths.

According to the Diabetes Association of Nigeria, about 8.2 million Nigerians are at risk of diabetes even as about six million people are already living with the disease.