Bangladesh Ranks Eighth in the World for Diabetes Patients, Endocrine Society Presses Eight-Point Demand Including a National Institute

Bangladesh is among the world's leading countries for the number of people living with diabetes. According to updated 2025 figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the country had about 13.9 million adult diabetes patients in 2024. On that count, Bangladesh ranks eighth in the world.

The IDF forecasts that the number of patients in the country could reach 23.1 million by 2050. Experts said that alongside the rising number of patients, late diagnosis, uncontrolled diabetes and preventable complications have become major causes for concern.

To address the situation, the Bangladesh Endocrine Society (BES) has put forward eight demands, including establishing a National Diabetes and Endocrine Institute, early identification of people at risk, ensuring quality treatment at upazila level, and universal screening for gestational diabetes.

The organisation's leaders presented the demands and recommendations at a press conference titled 'Urgent Action on Diabetes' at the National Press Club on Thursday, held to mark World Diabetes Day 2026.

Speakers at the press conference said that according to the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) 2017-18, the age-adjusted rate of diabetes among adults was 9.2 percent and the rate of pre-diabetes was 13.3 percent. As many as 61.5 percent of people with diabetes did not know they had the disease. According to BDHS 2022, the diabetes rate was 17 percent among women aged 18 or over and 15 percent among men.

The speakers said tackling diabetes cannot rely on treatment alone. People at risk must be identified early, tested quickly, and treatment must be ensured before complications appear.

BES president and head of the endocrinology department at BIRDEM, Dr Faria Afsana, said people with pre-diabetes and those at high risk must change their lifestyles to prevent diabetes. Losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight, walking briskly or exercising for at least 150 minutes a week, and controlling intake of rice, flour and sugary drinks are essential.

She said everyone aged 35 or over should be tested for diabetes. Younger people with excess weight, a family history, high blood pressure, PCOS or a history of gestational diabetes should also be tested early. Immediately after diagnosis, the eyes, kidneys, foot nerves and circulation, and the risk of heart disease, need to be assessed.

Professor Dr M Saifuddin, professor of endocrinology at Dhaka Medical College and BES general secretary, said training for doctors, nurses and dietitians must be increased to ensure quality diabetes care at the grassroots. Certified training for upazila and district level doctors, online mentoring and an easy-to-understand national treatment guideline are needed.

Dr Shahzada Selim, associate professor of endocrinology at Bangladesh Medical University and BES president-elect, said healthy living habits must be built from childhood to prevent diabetes. He stressed limiting sugary drinks and unhealthy packaged food in school canteens, involving students in regular sports and physical activity, and building healthy eating habits in families.

Highlighting the risks of gestational diabetes, Professor Dr Tanzina Hossain, professor of endocrinology at Green Life Medical College and BES press and media secretary, said gestational diabetes raises the risk of large babies, pre-eclampsia, caesarean delivery and low blood sugar in newborns. A mother who has had gestational diabetes also faces a roughly nine to ten times higher risk of type-2 diabetes later in life. She also stressed retesting the mother four to twelve weeks after delivery and ensuring regular follow-up afterwards.

Dr Mirza Sharifuzzaman, associate professor of endocrinology at Dhaka Medical College and BES treasurer, said the burden not only of diabetes but also of thyroid disease, obesity, osteoporosis, vitamin-D deficiency, PCOS, infertility and pituitary and adrenal gland diseases is rising in the country. A national endocrine institute is essential for integrated treatment of these diseases, producing specialist doctors and domestic research. Such an institution, he said, could bring together endocrinologists, paediatric endocrinologists, dietitians, and eye, kidney, heart, obstetrics and foot-care specialists, while creating opportunities for higher training, fellowships, a national patient registry and domestic research.

Dr Afsar Ahmed, associate professor of endocrinology at Bangladesh Medical University and BES organising secretary, said shortcomings at three levels — patients, doctors and the health system — lie behind many patients' diabetes remaining uncontrolled despite regular medication. Many patients stop taking medicine when they have no symptoms, or take it irregularly. Lack of dietary awareness, lack of physical activity, weight gain, not testing blood sugar regularly and fear of insulin also keep diabetes uncontrolled. On the other hand, doctors sometimes delay increasing doses or starting insulin even when a patient's HbA1c is not at the desired level. He added that patients having to bear treatment costs themselves, shortages of HbA1c testing, insulin and glucose test strips, and a lack of continuous follow-up are making the situation more complicated.

The eight demands include: establishing a National Diabetes and Endocrine Institute with a specific roadmap for the next five to ten years; ensuring diabetes testing for everyone aged 35 or over and early testing for people with a BMI of 23 or more or other risks; uninterrupted medicine supply, glucometers, HbA1c testing and complication detection at upazila and union level; diabetes testing for all pregnant women, easy availability of insulin and post-delivery follow-up; age-appropriate health education from primary school to university, healthy food in school canteens and an effective food policy to prevent non-communicable diseases; creating government posts for endocrinologists, increasing training and seats and introducing district-level mentoring; a national diabetes registry, multicentre research and quality-indicator-based accountability; and patient awareness, target-based treatment and team-based follow-up to reduce uncontrolled diabetes.

The speakers said now is the time to take advance steps against diabetes. Alongside treatment after diagnosis, ensuring prevention, health education, easily available medicine and quality services at the grassroots could greatly reduce diabetes-related complications and premature deaths.