Asian American Health

Diabetes and Asian Americans

  • In 2023, Asian American adults were 20% more likely than non-Hispanic white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.1
  • Among Asian subgroups,2
    • Asian Indian and Filipino adults were 30% and 40%, respectively, more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic white adults.
    • Korean adults were 30% less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic white adults.
    • Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese adults were 20% less likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than non-Hispanic white adults.
  • In 2021, non-Hispanic Asian Americans were 40% less likely than non-Hispanic whites to die from diabetes.3
  • In 2020, Asians/Pacific Islanders were nearly two times as likely to be diagnosed with end stage renal disease due to diabetes than non-Hispanic whites.4

Diagnosed Cases of Diabetes

Adults age 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, percentage, 2023
Asian onlyNon-Hispanic WhiteAsian / 
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
10.38.91.2
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of diagnosed diabetes for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023.
Adults age 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, age-adjusted percentage, 2022
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
10.27.21.4
Source: CDC. National Diabetes Surveillance System.
Adults age 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, age-adjusted percentage, 2019–2021
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Men10.67.71.4
Women7.86.11.3
Total9.16.91.3
Source: CDC, 2022. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021. Appendix Table 3.
Crude prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adults age 18 and over, by non-Hispanic Asian subgroup, percentage, 2019–2021
PopulationPopulation / Asian RatioPopulation /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Non-Hispanic White8.50.9--
Asian9.2--1.1
Asian Indian10.81.21.3
Chinese7.10.80.8
Filipino12.21.31.4
Japanese6.80.70.8
Korean6.10.70.7
Vietnamese6.40.70.8
Other Asian8.91.01.0
Source: CDC, 2022. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021. Table 2.

Death Rates

Diabetes mortality, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2021
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
Male20.839.30.5
Female16.427.60.6
Both Sexes18.533.40.6
Source: CDC, 2024. Deaths: Final Data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 73, No. 8. Table 10.

Related Conditions

Visual impairment among adults age 18 and over with diabetes, age-adjusted percentage, 2021
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
19.920.71.0
Source: CDC. National Diabetes Surveillance System.
Hospital admissions for uncontrolled diabetes without complications among adults age 18 and over, rate per 100,000 population, 2020
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander / 
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
18.126.80.7
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Lower extremity amputations among admissions for diabetes among adults age 18 and over, rate per 100,000 population, 2020
Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific IslanderNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander / 
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
10.327.80.4
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Incidence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) due to diabetes, age-adjusted rate per million population, 2020
Asian/Pacific IslanderNon-Hispanic WhiteAsian/Pacific Islander / 
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
220.6121.11.8
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.

Preventative Health

Adults age 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received a flu vaccination in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
--69.3--
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Adults age 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who had their feet checked for sores or irritation in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
--63.2--
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Adults age 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received an annual eye examination in the calendar year, percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
66.663.61.0
Source: CDC. National Health Interview Survey. Healthy People 2030. Annual eye examinations among adults with diagnosed diabetes by race/ethnicity, 2019–2023.
Adults age 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received a dilated eye examination in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
--59.2--
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Adults age 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received at least two hemoglobin A1c measurements in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic AsianNon-Hispanic WhiteNon-Hispanic Asian /
Non-Hispanic White Ratio
--80.7--
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.

1 CDC. National Center for Health Statistics. Interactive Summary Health Statistics for Adults. Percentage of diagnosed diabetes for adults aged 18 and over, United States, 2023. (Back to top)

2 CDC, 2022. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021. Table 2. (Back to top)

3 CDC, 2024. Deaths: Final Data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 73, No. 8. Table 10. (Back to top)

4 AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query. (Back to top)