For rich and poor Indians alike, diabetes epidemic shows no sign of abating

Diabetes prevalence has increased by 64% across India over the past quarter-century, according to a November 2017 report

India’s economic development has brought higher incomes–and a large helping of diabetes.

As salaries have increased, and all socio-economic groups have experienced a rise in living standards, diabetes–a condition caused by the body’s inability to regulate insulin-levels, which can lead to tissue damage and organ failure–became the country’s fastest growing disease burden over 16 years to 2016.

India currently represents 49% of the world’s diabetes burden, with an estimated 72 million cases in 2017, a figure expected to almost double to 134 million by 2025. This presents a serious public health challenge