Numbers that make your head spin

Chiffres

Numbers that make your head spin

Résaux sociaux
Contenu

According to the International Diabetes Federation, one in two people in the world lives with diabetes without knowing it, but it is in low-income countries that this number is highest, reaching 66% of the population.

For patients who are unaware of their condition, this situation can lead to complications that are all the more serious because they have no access to healthcare systems capable of properly managing these pathologies.

Chiffres du diabète

For its part, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that in Africa, 41 million people will develop diabetes by 2045, an increase of 143% compared to today.

This situation is due to a multitude of factors, including limited access to healthcare, inadequate training of healthcare professionals, and lack of awareness of potential symptoms among the general population.

Focus on complications

If left undiagnosed, type 2 diabetes* can lead to serious complications.

*The most common form of diabetes. Affected patients develop insulin resistance, which means they can no longer properly regulate blood sugar levels. In addition to hyperglycemia, this form of diabetes is asymptomatic, and more often affects overweight and elderly patients.

  • The risk of cardiovascular problems is doubled or even tripled
  • Neuropathy leading to limb amputation
  • Retinopathy (blindness)
  • Death

The majority of diabetes-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, where the diagnosis rate is lowest.

Diabetes has become a major public health problem in both the North and the South. Early diagnosis is essential because it considerably reduces complications and the costs inherent in their treatment.

 

Want to learn more about diabetes and the issues in the South?
Discover our digital campaign: “Diabetes, a global scourge ”.

Témoignage   Interview  Vidéo

Plus de news

Women's rights: a road fraught with obstacles
09/10/2025
This year marks the thirtieth anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, an ambitious programme and global commitment to the rights of women and girls. Since then, these rights have… +
Solidarity Fund: Call for projects
01/10/2025
The Solidarity Fund, an initiative led by Louvain Coopération, the NGO of UCLouvain, offers students the opportunity to finance their solidarity projects in Belgium or in the… +
Release of the 21st issue of the Louvain Coopération newspaper.
30/09/2025
Voices of Women, Forces for Change, the latest issue of Devlop’, is finally available. We invite you to listen to the voices of women who are too often silenced by conflict,… +
Madagascar: canoes to change the lives of fishermen
15/09/2025
Last August, we shared with you the story of Bruno and his fellow fishermen, forced to go out to sea every day in fragile boats, risking their lives. Thanks to a wave of… +
Become a Solidarity Student
05/09/2025
More and more UCLouvain students are choosing to commit to a more sustainable, equitable and inclusive world through Louvain Coopération's Student Solidarity programme. Every… +
DRC: how the work of CSOs promotes young people's access to decision-making bodies
04/09/2025
A few months ago, Giresse Mubangu Disasi, 32, was appointed Provincial Minister of Budget, Civil Service, Regional Integration, Planning and Youth in the Congolese province of… +