Diabetes in the United States - Statistics & Facts
Diabetes mellitus was the eighth leading cause of death in the United States in 2022, accounting for 3.1 percent of all deaths that year. At that time, around 8.4 percent of adults living in the United States had been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to six percent in the year 2000. Diabetes is a chronic metabolic health condition that affects the body鈥檚 ability to produce or use insulin in order to create energy from ingested food. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, which is genetic and caused by an autoimmune response; type 2, which is related to lifestyle factors; and the third type, called gestational diabetes, which occurs only during pregnancy due to high blood sugar levels. The most common type of diabetes is type 2, with obesity contributing to a high level of risk for developing the disease.
