The number of diabetes patients among domestic youth and those under 30 has surged.
Diabetes is a disease for which no cure currently exists, requiring lifelong blood sugar management. If contracted at a young age, the duration of the disease is significantly longer, increasing the risk of complications and causing substantial socioeconomic losses.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 26th that a research team led by Professor Kim Jae-hyun of the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital analyzed health insurance claims data from 130,000 citizens under 30 from 2008 to 2021, showing a clear increase in diabetes among the younger generation.
This study, the longest and largest-scale analysis of diabetes patients under 30 in Korea, was conducted with support from the National Institute of Health.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys the insulin-producing islets of the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes occurs when insulin resistance increases due to various factors, such as obesity, even though some insulin secretion function remains.
The study found that over the past 13 years, the number of patients with type 2 diabetes has surged, with the incidence rate rising from 27.6 per 100,000 people to 60.5, an increase of 2.2 times. The prevalence rose from 73.3 to 270.4, nearly quadrupling. The incidence rate refers to the proportion of new diabetes patients, while the prevalence rate indicates the overall proportion of the population suffering from diabetes.
Although there was little change in the incidence of type 1 diabetes, the number of patients rose significantly from 21.8 to 46.4.
Historically, type 1 diabetes was primarily seen in children and adolescents, but recent trends show a rapid increase in type 2 diabetes among teenagers and young adults.
There were also gender differences. Type 1 diabetes was 26% more common in females, while type 2 diabetes occurred 17% more frequently in males. By age group, type 1 showed the highest increase in incidence among infants (0-5 years), while type 2 was most prevalent among adolescents (13-18 years).
Socioeconomic disparities were also evident. The incidence of type 1 diabetes was 2.9 times higher in low-income groups compared to middle and high-income groups, while type 2 diabetes was 3.7 times greater. The researchers identified lifestyle factors, access to healthcare, and nutritional imbalances as key reasons for the heightened diabetes risk in low-income communities.
The researchers noted that this analysis will serve as important foundational data for establishing diabetes prevention and management policies for children and adolescents.
Park Hyun-young, head of the National Institute of Health, emphasized, "The steadily rising prevalence of diabetes among the younger population necessitates urgent management at the national level," and stated, "Efforts are needed to ensure health equity for socioeconomically vulnerable groups."
This study was published in the international journal JKMS (Journal of Korean Medical Science) by the Korean Medical Association.
Reference materials
JKMS (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e241