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Diabetes

Your body's fuel system works great until the key that lets sugar into your cells goes missing or stops fitting the lock.

By Greg Goodwin · Published October 24, 2026

Diabetes

Cheat Sheet

  • Total: an estimated 40.1 million US people (12.0% of the population) had diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in 2023.
  • Diagnosed: 29.1 million people have diagnosed diabetes, including 28.8 million adults.
  • Hidden cases: 27.6% of US adults with diabetes, about 11.0 million people, are undiagnosed.
  • Prediabetes: an estimated 115.2 million US adults have it, including 31.3 million people ages 65 and older (52.1% of that age group).
  • Type 1: about 2.1 million people have diagnosed type 1, including 314,000 children and adolescents under 20.
  • Report vintage: CDC's 2021-data estimate was 38.4 million, so figures shift with each update.

The 60-Second Version

Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects how the body turns food into energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, a sugar that enters the bloodstream. The pancreas makes insulin, a hormone that acts like a key letting glucose move from the blood into cells. In diabetes, the body either makes too little insulin or cannot use it well, so too much glucose stays in the blood, and over years that can damage nerves, eyes, kidneys, and blood vessels. The two big types are type 1, in which the immune system attacks insulin-making cells, and type 2, which is far more common and involves insulin not working as it should. Many people have it without knowing. This page is general education, not medical advice; testing, diagnosis, and care decisions belong with a health professional.

The Long Version

How the Body Handles Sugar

After a meal, carbohydrates are broken into glucose and absorbed into the blood. Rising glucose signals the pancreas to release insulin, which helps cells in muscle, fat, and the liver take up glucose and store or burn it, bringing blood levels back down. Diabetes is what happens when that system fails. The CDC describes it as a chronic disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. Because glucose is carried everywhere in the blood, persistently high levels can affect many organs, which is why diabetes is discussed alongside heart disease, kidney disease, vision loss, and nerve damage.

Type 1, Type 2, and Gestational

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas, so the body makes little or no insulin. CDC estimates about 2.1 million people in the United States have diagnosed type 1, including 1.8 million adults ages 20 and older and 314,000 children and adolescents younger than 20. Type 2 diabetes is much more common and develops when the body becomes resistant to insulin and, over time, may not make enough. A third form, gestational diabetes, appears during pregnancy. The types differ in cause and course, and a clinician is the right person to sort out which one someone has.

How Many People Have It

CDC's National Diabetes Statistics Report, last updated September 2026, estimates 40.1 million people in the United States, or 12.0% of the population, had diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes in 2023. About 29.1 million had a diagnosis, including 28.8 million adults. That leaves a large hidden group: 27.6% of adults with diabetes, about 11.0 million people, were undiagnosed. For comparison, the earlier edition based on 2021 data estimated 38.4 million, so the totals shift as new survey data arrive and methods are updated. The practical takeaway is that roughly one in eight Americans is affected, and many do not know.

The Prediabetes Zone

Prediabetes means blood sugar is higher than normal but below the diabetes range. CDC estimates 115.2 million US adults ages 18 and older had prediabetes, and 31.3 million people ages 65 and older, or 52.1% of that age group, had it. Prediabetes often has no symptoms, which is part of why testing matters. It is described as a warning stage rather than a destination, and CDC lists a National Diabetes Prevention Program among its public health efforts. Anyone wondering about their own risk, which can include family history, age, and weight, can ask a clinician about testing.

Living With Diabetes

Diabetes care is individualized and typically involves a health care team, regular monitoring, and decisions made with a clinician about food, activity, and medication. Which approaches fit depends on the type and on the person, so there is no single recipe. Support also comes from diabetes educators and community programs; CDC highlights diabetes self-management education and support as a resource. Advances in monitoring technology and treatments have changed daily life for many people, but the underlying message stays the same: diabetes is a condition managed over a lifetime, not something willpower alone can settle.

Why People Care

With about one in eight Americans affected and millions unaware, diabetes shapes health, family life, and health care costs. Knowing the basics helps you recognize why screening matters and why the condition is not one thing. This is general information, not medical advice; ask a clinician about your own situation.

Glossary

Insulin
A hormone made by the pancreas that lets cells take in glucose from the blood to use for energy.
Glucose
The main sugar in the blood, which the body uses as a primary fuel.
Type 1 diabetes
A condition in which the immune system destroys insulin-making cells, so the body makes little or no insulin.
Type 2 diabetes
A condition in which the body does not use insulin well and eventually may not make enough of it.
Prediabetes
Blood sugar higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes.

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