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Diabetes in New Zealand

www.moh.govt.nz/diabetes

Diabetes presents a serious health challenge for New Zealand. It is a significant cause of ill health and premature death.

Reducing the incidence and impact of diabetes is therefore one of the 13 immediate action priority objectives for population health in the New Zealand Health Strategy.

Diabetes affects about 200,000 people in New Zealand but only half of these people have been diagnosed. The prevalence of diabetes across the population of New Zealand is currently estimated at around 4 percent.

Within the New Zealand population, the prevalence of diabetes in Māori and Pacific populations is around three times higher than among other New Zealanders.

Diabetes is defined by abnormalities in the regulation of blood glucose levels, but it is a chronic condition causing kidney failure, eye disease, foot ulceration and a higher risk of heart disease.

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Page last updated: 1 July 2009

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