Global burdens of diabetes mellitus in adolescents from 1990 to 2023 and future trend predictions: An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study 2023
- 1College of Clinical Medicine for Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University, Fujian Children’s Hospital (Fujian Branch of Shanghai Children’s Medical Center), Fuzhou, Fujian, China
Abstract
Background: Adolescent diabetes mellitus (DM) constitutes a significant global public health challenge. This study seeks to quantify the burden of DM in adolescents aged 10–19 years from 1990 to 2023 and to forecast trends in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) through 2040. Methods: Epidemiological data for DM among adolescents in 204 countries and territories were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 database. The global burden was evaluated using age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR), stratified by region, sex, age, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Health inequality was assessed using the slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index (CI). Future trends were forecast using an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model with model-specific validation (AICc, Ljung-Box test). Results: From 1990 to 2023, global adolescent DM burden increased substantially. ASIR, ASPR, and ASDR rose consistently, whereas ASMR remained relatively stable with a slight decline. In 2023, an estimated 6.07 million adolescents were living with DM (ASPR: 458.07 per 100,000). The highest ASPR was observed in low-SDI regions (482.25 per 100,000), followed by high-SDI regions (442.81 per 100,000). Low-SDI regions also carried the highest DALY and mortality burdens. Males progressively exceeded females in both incidence and prevalence by 2023, although this observed sex reversal may partly reflect changes in screening and diagnostic practices. The overall burden increase was primarily driven by adolescents aged 15–19 years. ARIMA forecasts indicate that ASIR, ASPR, and ASDR are projected to continue increasing through 2040, while ASMR is expected to remain low and stable. Conclusions: The burden of adolescent DM increased considerably from 1990 to 2023, with marked heterogeneity by age, sex, and geography. The rising non-fatal burden (incidence, prevalence, DALYs) contrasts with stable mortality, suggesting improvements in acute care alongside growing morbidity. Persistent health disparities and projected increases underscore the need for age-, sex-, and region-specific public health strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{qiu2026global,
title = {{Global burdens of diabetes mellitus in adolescents from 1990 to 2023 and future trend predictions: An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study 2023}},
author = {Xinyi Qiu and Limei Guan and Hui Liu},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0358475},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358475},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Global burdens of diabetes mellitus in adolescents from 1990 to 2023 and future trend predictions: An analysis of the Global Burden of Disease study 2023
AU - Xinyi Qiu
AU - Limei Guan
AU - Hui Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0358475
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0358475
AB - Background: Adolescent diabetes mellitus (DM) constitutes a significant global public health challenge. This study seeks to quantify the burden of DM in adolescents aged 10–19 years from 1990 to 2023 and to forecast trends in incidence, prevalence, mortality, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) through 2040. Methods: Epidemiological data for DM among adolescents in 204 countries and territories were obtained from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2023 database. The global burden was evaluated using age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR), age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR), and age-standardized DALY rate (ASDR), stratified by region, sex, age, and Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Health inequality was assessed using the slope index of inequality (SII) and concentration index (CI). Future trends were forecast using an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model with model-specific validation (AICc, Ljung-Box test). Results: From 1990 to 2023, global adolescent DM burden increased substantially. ASIR, ASPR, and ASDR rose consistently, whereas ASMR remained relatively stable with a slight decline. In 2023, an estimated 6.07 million adolescents were living with DM (ASPR: 458.07 per 100,000). The highest ASPR was observed in low-SDI regions (482.25 per 100,000), followed by high-SDI regions (442.81 per 100,000). Low-SDI regions also carried the highest DALY and mortality burdens. Males progressively exceeded females in both incidence and prevalence by 2023, although this observed sex reversal may partly reflect changes in screening and diagnostic practices. The overall burden increase was primarily driven by adolescents aged 15–19 years. ARIMA forecasts indicate that ASIR, ASPR, and ASDR are projected to continue increasing through 2040, while ASMR is expected to remain low and stable. Conclusions: The burden of adolescent DM increased considerably from 1990 to 2023, with marked heterogeneity by age, sex, and geography. The rising non-fatal burden (incidence, prevalence, DALYs) contrasts with stable mortality, suggesting improvements in acute care alongside growing morbidity. Persistent health disparities and projected increases underscore the need for age-, sex-, and region-specific public health strategies.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -