Diabetes and Black/African Americans

  • In 2024, non-Hispanic Black or African American adults were diagnosed with diabetes 24% more frequently than adult of the total population.1
  • In 2021, non-Hispanic Black or African Americans were diagnosed with end stage renal disease due to diabetes 2.19 times more often than the total population.2
  • In 2022, non-Hispanic Black or African Americans died from diabetes at a rate that was 40% higher than the total population.3

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Diagnosed cases of diabetes

Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, percentage, 2024
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
12.410.01.24
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, 2024.
Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, age-adjusted percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
12.38.61.43
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Diabetes Surveillance System.
Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, age-adjusted percentage, 2019–2021
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
Men11.59.61.20
Women12.58.71.44
Total12.19.11.33
Source: CDC, 2022. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021. Appendix Table 3.
Crude prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among adults ages 18 and over, percentage, 2019–2021
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
12.58.91.40
Source: CDC, 2022. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021. Table 2.

Death rates

Diabetes mortality, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
Male46.334.81.33
Female39.326.01.51
Both Sexes42.730.41.40
Source: CDC, 2025. Deaths: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 10.

Related conditions

Visual impairment among adults ages 18 and over with diabetes, age-adjusted percentage, 2022
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
28.528.80.99
Source: CDC. National Diabetes Surveillance System.
Hospital admissions for uncontrolled diabetes without complications among adults ages 18 and over, rate per 100,000 population, 2020
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
102.1Not ReportedNot Reported
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 ages 18 and over, rate per 1,000 population, 2020
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
6.86.11.12
Source: CDC. Hospitalization for Lower Extremity Amputation Surveillance - United States Diabetes Surveillance System
Incidence of end stage renal disease (ESRD) due to diabetes, age-adjusted rate per million population, 2021
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
332.2151.52.19
Source: CDC. Diabetes Related ESRD Incidence Surveillance - United States Diabetes Surveillance System

Preventive health

Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received an annual eye examination in the calendar year, percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
71.866.01.09
Source: CDC. National Health Interview Survey. Healthy People 2030. Annual eye examinations among adults with diagnosed diabetes by race/ethnicity, 2019–2023.
Adults ages 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received a flu vaccination in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
56.2Not ReportedNot Reported
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Adults ages 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who had their feet checked for sores or irritation in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
55.7Not ReportedNot Reported
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Adults ages 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received a dilated eye examination in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
52.1Not ReportedNot Reported
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Adults ages 40 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received at least two hemoglobin A1c measurements in the calendar year, percentage, 2020
Non-Hispanic BlackTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic Black / 
Total Population Ratio
77.6Not ReportedNot Reported
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, 2024. (Back to top)

2 CDC. Diabetes-Related ESRD Incidence Surveillance - United States Diabetes Surveillance System. (Back to top)

3 CDC, 2025. Deaths: Final Data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 74, No. 4. Table 10. (Back to top)


Date Last Reviewed: September 2025