In 2022, 6.2% of the population in Switzerland reported that they had diabetes or were taking medication for this. This is an increase on the 4.8% of 2017. The increase was seen among both women (from 4.5% to 5.6%) and men (from 5.1% to 6.9%).
The incidence of diabetes increases with age, especially among men. Education levels play a role, too: in 2022 the proportion of diabetes sufferers was highest among persons with no post-compulsory education (12.7%) and lowest (4.8%) among those who had completed tertiary education. The proportion among persons who had completed Swiss Secondary II-level education amounted to 7.5%.
The majority of people with diabetes report taking medication without insulin. About one-fifth inject insulin, while around one-third do not take any medication.
This indicator is part of the Monitoring System Addiction and NCD (MonAM) of the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH).
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder which can damage the body’s blood vessels over the longer term. In particular, it often leads to cardiovascular diseases, kidney malfunctions, eye and nerve conditions, as well as diabetic foot syndrome.
There are two main forms of diabetes. Type 2 is strongly related to lifestyle and associated with overweight. Diet and exercise measures can prevent this type and slow progression of the disease. In most cases it appears in the second half of life and was previously known as adult-onset diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that often appears in childhood or adolescence (IDF, 2024; diabetesschweiz, 2024).
The rate of new diabetes diagnoses has risen in recent years both in Switzerland and worldwide (WHO, 2023). As the population continues to age and the number of overweight persons rises, diabetes is set to become an even bigger health issue in Switzerland in the coming years.
Definition
This indicator was calculated on the basis of data from the Swiss Health Survey (SHS, n2022 ≈ 22 000), and is updated every five years.
It shows the percentage of persons aged 15 or over living in private households who have diabetes and/or are taking diabetes medication. It also indicates the proportion of people with diabetes who are on insulin or non-insulin medication, and those who do not take diabetes medication.
It is not possible to make a distinction between the different types of diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes) in the survey results, as some of the persons interviewed did not correctly state the type of diabetes they had.
Source
- Federal Statistical Office (FSO): Swiss Health Survey (in German, French, and Italian)
References
- diabetesschweiz: About Diabetes (retrieved on 11.9.2024; in German, French and Italian)
- International Diabetes Federation (IDF): About Diabetes (retrieved on 11.9.2024)
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2023): Diabetes (retrieved on 11.9.2024)
Further information
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