Report from the National Diabetes Surveillance System: Diabetes in Canada, 2008

People With Diagnosed Diabetes (Prevalence⁵)

For People Aged 1 and Older:

• In 2005-2006, approximately 1.9 million Canadians aged 1 and older, or about 1 in 17, had diagnosed diabetes (1,939,247 overall, 925,523 among girls and women and 1,013,724 among boys and men). The prevalence⁵ among Canadians was 5.9% overall (5.5% of girls and women and 6.2% of boys and men). (Tables 1 and 2)
• As anticipated, in 2005-2006, as in prior years, the prevalence⁵ of diagnosed diabetes was significantly lower among children and adolescents than adults. The prevalence⁵ increased with age from about 2% among individuals in their 30's to about 22%, or 1 in 5, adults aged 75 to 79 years old. (Figure 1 and Table 2)
• After adjusting⁶ for differences in age distributions among provinces and territories, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was generally found to be highest in the Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador) and was lowest in the west (Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia). The prevalence⁵ for Ontario was higher than the national average, and for Quebec, prevalence was lower than the national average. (Figure 2) Provincial and territorial obesity prevalence, followed a similar pattern; higher in the Atlantic provinces and lower in the western provinces.
• After adjusting⁶ to account for changes in the age distributions over time, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has increased by about 22% between 2001-2002 and 2005-2006. (Figure 3)

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Table 1. Prevalence Percentages, Number of Cases, and Incidence Rates per 1,000 of Diagnosed Diabetes by Age Group, Year, and Sex, Canada*, 2001-2002 to 2005-2006

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Table 2. Prevalence Percentages, Incidence Rates, and Number of Cases of Diagnosed Diabetes, by Sex and Age Group, Canada*, 2005-2006

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Figure 1. Prevalence Percentages of Diagnosed Diabetes among People Aged 1 Year and Older by Age Group and Sex, Canada*, 2005-2006

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Figure 2. Age-Standardized Prevalence Percentages* of Diagnosed Diabetes among People Aged 1 Year and Older, by Sex, Province and Territory, Canada^, 2005-2006

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Figure 3. Age-Standardized Prevalence Percentages* of Diagnosed Diabetes among People Aged 1 Year and Older, by Sex, Canada^, 2001-2002 to 2005-2006

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5. The proportion of a individuals that are affected by diagnosed diabetes at a given point in time.
6. For a more detailed explanation of the age-standardization technique, refer to the methods for this report on the NDSS website: www.ndss.gc.ca.