India ranks second globally in terms of the economic toll caused by diabetes, with total losses estimated at USD 11.4 trillion, according to a new international study. The United States tops the list with costs of USD 16.5 trillion, while China follows India with an estimated burden of USD 11 trillion.
The analysis, conducted by researchers from institutions including the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis and the Vienna University of Economics and Business in Austria, examined the economic consequences of diabetes in 204 countries between 2020 and 2050. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine.
The study estimates that direct global costs of diabetes amount to nearly USD 10 trillion when informal caregiving by family members is excluded, representing around 0.2 per cent of the world’s annual gross domestic product (GDP). However, when unpaid care is taken into account, the total economic burden rises sharply to approximately USD 152 trillion, or 1.7 per cent of global GDP.
The United States faces the largest economic burden of diabetes mellitus at INT$ 2.5 trillion, followed by India at INT$ 1.6 trillion and China at INT$ 1.0 trillion.
Researchers noted that informal caregiving alone accounts for almost 90 per cent of the overall economic impact of diabetes. This is largely because the number of people living with the disease far exceeds diabetes-related deaths by a factor of 30 to 50.
“The United States faces the largest economic burden of diabetes mellitus at INT$ 2.5 trillion, followed by India at INT$ 1.6 trillion and China at INT$ 1.0 trillion. When considering informal care loss, the largest economic burdens are INT$ 16.5 trillion in the United States, INT$ 11.4 trillion in India and INT$ 11.0 trillion in China,” the authors wrote.
An international dollar (INT$) is a standardised unit that allows comparisons across countries by equating purchasing power with that of a US dollar.
In India and China, the scale of the economic burden is mainly driven by the sheer size of the population affected by diabetes. In contrast, the high costs in the United States are linked to expensive treatment regimes and diversion of physical capital. The researchers also highlighted a key difference between richer and poorer nations: treatment expenses account for 41 per cent of the total burden in high-income countries, compared to just 14 per cent in low-income nations.
The researchers stressed that the economic impact of diabetes surpasses that of other major diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer’s. They emphasised that lifestyle interventions such as regular exercise and healthy diets remain the most effective preventive measures.
They also called for widespread diabetes screening, early diagnosis and timely treatment to curb both health risks and financial losses. Previous research published in The Lancet in November 2024 estimated that more than one in four people living with diabetes worldwide reside in India.