Diabetes Epidemiology and Management in Korean Adults

Type 2 diabetes mellitus has become a major public health challenge in Korea, with a steady rise in prevalence over the past two decades. Rapid socioeconomic transition, shifting dietary patterns and urban lifestyles have contributed to higher rates of obesity, central adiposity and metabolic dysfunction. The burden is compounded by wide disparities in awareness, treatment and control across age, sex and income strata. Although national screening programmes and chronic disease management initiatives have improved detection and treatment rates, glycaemic control remains suboptimal for many. Recent health‐system reforms have prioritised patient education, multidisciplinary care and tailored interventions for high‐risk groups. A growing emphasis on early identification of impaired fasting glucose and personalised risk stratification is reshaping preventive strategies. Despite advances in pharmacotherapy and digital health tools, challenges persist in narrowing the gap between treatment and sustained control, and in addressing the rising tide of cardiovascular and renal complications linked to diabetes.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent epidemiological analyses of national survey data have revealed that central adiposity, measured by waist-to-height ratio, has grown in parallel with the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Korean adults. Over the period from 2005 to 2022, the proportion of individuals with diabetes rose most steeply in those with high central adiposity, underscoring the need for targeted lifestyle interventions. Another comprehensive follow-up study covering 2006–2013 demonstrated a gradual annual increase in both diabetes and impaired fasting glucose in adults aged 30 years and above. This work highlighted the clustering of hypertension and dyslipidaemia in people with dysglycaemia, reinforcing the importance of integrated screening for co-morbid cardiometabolic risk factors.

Diabetes Epidemiology and Management in Korean Adults publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in diabetes epidemiology and management in korean adults across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Impaired fasting glucose (IFG): A pre-diabetic state defined by elevated fasting blood glucose levels above normal but below the threshold for diabetes.

Waist-to-height ratio (WHtR): An anthropometric measure of central adiposity calculated as waist circumference divided by height, used to assess cardiometabolic risk.

Glycaemic control: The management of blood glucose levels within target ranges to reduce the risk of complications in diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus: A chronic metabolic disorder characterised by insulin resistance and progressive β-cell dysfunction, leading to hyperglycaemia.

References

1. Study on risk factors of impaired fasting glucose and development of a prediction model based on Extreme Gradient Boosting algorithm. Frontiers in Endocrinology (2024).
2. National trends in type 2 diabetes mellitus stratified by central adiposity using waist-to-height ratio in South Korea, 2005–2022. Scientific Reports (2024).
3. Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of Type 2 Diabetes in South Korea (1998 to 2022): Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance (2024).
4. Trends in the pervasiveness of type 2 diabetes, impaired fasting glucose and co-morbidities during an 8-year-follow-up of nationwide Korean population. Scientific Reports (2017).