Beat the disease

Diabetes affects millions of people around the world and causes about 5 percent of the world’s deaths each year. According to the World Health Organization, which tracks global health statistics, the rate of diabetes is likely to double in the next 10 years if radical measures aren’t taken to prevent it. One of the leading causes of the disease is obesity, which is also on the rise. Other contributing factors are smoking, inactivity, high blood pressure or unhealthy cholesterol. Listed here are the number of people (in millions) in various countries (and regions) known to have the disease in 2000, and the number predicted for 2030: