- Article
- Source: Campus Sanofi
- 17 Sep 2025
Disease Overview
T1D is an autoimmune condition with a progressive decline in beta-cell function resulting in a decline in endogenous insulin production.1
aT1D starts long before symptoms appear & progresses through three distinct stages.2,3,4
Pre-symptomatic individuals with ≥ 2 islet autoantibodies have a near 100% lifetime probability of progressing to clinical stage 3 aT1D.5
Globally, the number of people living with aT1D is projected to increase by 116% reaching 17.4 million by 2040.6
In UAE, up to 80% of patients experience diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) event upon diagnosis, KSA found to have 67%
Incidence & Prevalence overview on Tye 1 Diabetes UAE 12-15
- While studies from Denmark, Kuwait, Canada and Germany have found the rates of DKA in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes to be 17.9%, 24.8%, 25.6% and 35.2%, respectively, in United Arab Emirates, its rate was 80%. 16-18
- Saudi Arabia has one of the highest rates of DKA worldwide, with various studies showing that in newly diagnosed type 1 diabetes, these rates are 40% in the Eastern region, 55% in the Northwestern region and 67.2% in Riyadh city. 16-18
- KSA is one of the top 10 countries for estimated prevalent or incident cases of type 1 diabetes. 19
- KSA has more than 241,000 type 1 diabetes patients across different age groups. 20
KSA has more than 241,000 type 1 diabetes patients across different age groups.
|
Country |
Age <20 years |
Age 20-59 years |
Age >=60 years |
Totals |
|
Saudi Arabia |
49,118 |
177,957 |
14,202 |
241,348 |
Top 10 countries or territories for estimated number of incident (new) cases of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents (0-19 years) per annum
| Rank | Country or territory | Number of incident(new) cases (0-19 years) in thousands |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | India | 24.0 |
| 2 | United States of America | 18.2 |
| 3 | Brazil | 8.9 |
| 4 | Algeria | 6.5 |
| 5 | China | 6.1 |
| 6 | Morocco1 | 5.1 |
| 7 | Russian Federation | 4.0 |
| 8 | Nigeria | 3.8 |
| 9 | Saudi Arabia | 3.8 |
| 10 | Germany | 3.6 |
i The figure Morocco uses incidence rates extrapolated from Algeria
Top 10 countries or territories for estimated number of prevalent (existing) cases of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents (0-19 years) per annum
| Rank | Country or territory | Number of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (0-19 years) in thousands |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
India |
229.4 |
|
2 |
United States of America |
157.9 |
|
3 |
Brazil |
92.3 |
|
4 |
China |
56.0 |
|
5 |
Algeria |
50.8 |
|
6 |
Morocco1 |
43.3 |
|
7 |
Russian Federation |
38.1 |
|
8 |
Germany |
35.1 |
|
9 |
United Kingdom |
31.6 |
|
10 |
Saudi Arabia |
28.9 |
i The figure Morocco uses incidence rates extrapolated from Algeria
Top 10 countries or territories for estimated number of incident (new) cases of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents (0-19 years) per annum
| Rank | Country or territory | Number of incident(new) cases (0-19 years) in thousands |
|---|---|---|
|
1 |
India |
24.0 |
|
2 |
United States of America |
18.2 |
|
3 |
Brazil |
8.9 |
|
4 |
Algeria |
6.5 |
|
5 |
China |
6.1 |
|
6 |
Morocco1 |
5.1 |
|
7 |
Russian Federation |
4.0 |
|
8 |
Nigeria |
3.8 |
|
9 |
Saudi Arabia |
3.8 |
|
10 |
Germany |
3.6 |
i The figure Morocco uses incidence rates extrapolated from Algeria
- Roep BO, et al. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 2021;17:150–61.
- Sims EK, et. al. Diabetes 2022;71:610–3; Besser RE, et al. Pediatr Diabetes 2022;23:1175–87; ADA Professional Practice Committee. Diabetes Care 2024;47:S20–S42;
- Besser RE, et al. Pediatr Diabetes 2022;23:1175–87Besser REJ, Bell KJ, Couper JJ, et al. ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2022: Stages of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents. Pediatr Diabetes. Dec 2022;23(8):1175-1187. doi:10.1111/pedi.13410;
- ElSayed NA, Aleppo G, Aroda VR, et al. 2. Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes: Standards of Care in Diabetes-2023. Diabetes Care. Jan 1 2023;46(Suppl 1):S19-s40. doi:10.2337/dc23-S002;
- Arvan P, et al. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2012;2 a007658; Ziegler AG, Rewers M, Simell O, et al. JAMA 2013.
- Gregory GA. Global incidence, prevalence, and mortality of type 1 diabetes in 2021 with projection to 2040: a modelling study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2022 Oct;10(10):741-760.
- Große J, Hornstein H, Manuwald U, Kugler J, Glauche I, Rothe U. Incidence of Diabetic Ketoacidosis of New-Onset Type 1 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents in Different Countries Correlates with Human Development Index (HDI): An Updated Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, and Meta-Regression. Horm Metab Res. Mar 2018;50(3):209-222. doi:10.1055/s-0044-10209
- Besser REJ, Bell KJ, Couper JJ, et al. ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guidelines 2022: Stages of type 1 diabetes in children and adolescents. Pediatr Diabetes. Dec 2022;23(8):1175-1187. doi:10.1111/pedi.13410
- Varughese B, et al. Value Health. 2022;25(12):S225.
- Shaka H, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2021;106(9):2592-9.
- Kaplan, et al.: The status of type 1 diabetes in children in the Eastern Region of the UAE
- https://t1dindex.shinyapps.io/dashboard/?loc_id=784&_ga=2.210561426.64895223.1712133368-617270022.1712133368
- https://www.t1dindex.org/countries/united-arab-emirates/
- https://www.globalmediainsight.com/blog/uae-population-statistics/#vs
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emiratis
- Eledrisi MS, Elzouki AN. Management of Diabetic Ketoacidosis in Adults: A Narrative Review. Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2020 Sep-Dec;8(3):165-173. doi: 10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_478_19. Epub 2020 Aug 20. PMID: 32952507; PMCID: PMC7485658.
- Carla J. Greenbaum et al; Diabetes 2021;70:1029–1037 | https://doi.org/10.2337/db20-1112
- Ann Saudi Med 2022; 42(2): 119-126. DOI: 10.5144/0256-4947.2022.119
- International Diabetes Federation (IDF). IDF Diabetes Atlas. 10th edition. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://diabetesatlas.org/
- Robert, Asirvatham Alwin, et al. "Type 1 diabetes mellitus in Saudi Arabia: a soaring epidemic." International journal of pediatrics 2018.1 (2018): 9408370.
- Gregory GA, Robinson TIG, Linklater SE, et al. Global incidence, prevalence, and mortality of type 1 diabetes in 2021 with projection to 2040: a modelling study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. Oct 2022;10(10):741-760. doi:10.1016/s2213-8587(22)00218-2;
- International Diabetes Federation (IDF). IDF Diabetes Atlas. 10th edition. Accessed November 3, 2023. https://diabetesatlas.org/
- Harding JL, Wander PL, Zhang X, et al. The Incidence of Adult-Onset Type 1 Diabetes: A Systematic Review From 32 Countries and Regions. Diabetes Care. Apr 1 2022;45(4):994-1006. doi:10.2337/dc21-1752
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