Worrying new data shows diabetes in Spain is a serious problem and health experts are worried there are no signs of cases slowing down. 

Out of five million people in Spain who have diabetes, 1.5 million of them are unaware they have the condition, according to alarming new data. 

Research from the IDF Diabetes Atlas 2021 showed Spain was the second country in Europe with the highest prevalence of diabetes. 

About 14.8% of the population between 20 and 79 years old suffered from the pathology, according to the figures. 

It exceeded the average for the entire population of Europe, which was 9.2%, as well as that of South America (9.52%), the Western Pacific (11.9%) and Southeast Asia (8.7%). 

Neighbouring Spain, 9.6% of the population between 20 to 79 in Italy and Greece had diabetes, and France registered 8.6%.

diet weight obesity photo: I Yunmai Unsplash
The forecast for diabetes worldwide is worrying.

Turkey was the only country with more concerning data than Spain, recording 15.9% of the population with diabetes, just over five million people. 

Most of the five million cases of diabetes in Spain could be linked to Andalucia, according to Federation Español of Diabetes (FEDE). 

There were 800,000 cases in the southern region, Catalonia had more than 700,000, Madrid recorded more than 600,000 and the Valencian community was the fourth most affected with just over half a million. 

According to the data, La Rioja was the community with the fewest cases, not even reaching 11,000. 

The forecast for diabetes worldwide was also concerning. 

According to another study published in the scientific journal The Lancet, there are more than twice as many people with type 1 diabetes than in 2021, which was close to eight million.

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