Prevalence refers to the number of people currently diagnosed with diabetes. There are 3.8 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in the UK.
| Prevalence | 2017-18 |
|---|---|
| England | 3,222,559 |
| Northern Ireland | 96,114 |
| Scotland | 295,753 |
| Wales | 195,693 |
| UK | 3,809,119 |
Quality and Outcomes Framework
The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) was introduced in 2004 and provides financial incentives to general practices for the provision of high-quality care. Participation by practices in the QOF is voluntary but most practices choose to participate.
As part of QOF, general practices will register the number of people with diabetes aged 17 and over, and therefore prevalence figures are available. These figures are published annually.
The latest QOF figures are available in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Scottish Diabetes Survey
The Quality and Outcomes Framework has been decommissioned in Scotland. The prevalence of diabetes for all ages in Scotland has been collected in the Scottish Diabetes Survey (SDS) published by the Scottish Diabetes Group, which combines information from many sources both in hospitals and in the community.
To maintain consistency with QOF, we have estimated the number of people 17+ diagnosed with diabetes.
Using QOF and SDS figures with estimates from the Diabetes Prevalence Model 2016 (Public Health England) and 2012 APHO Diabetes Prevalence Model, there are an estimated 4.7 million people with diabetes in the UK.
We estimate almost 1 million people with Type 2 diabetes don’t know they have it because they haven’t been diagnosed.
