One in Seven Adults in Portugal Now Lives with Diabetes

Portugal’s Diabetes Rate Breaks Record at 14.2 Percent

The share of Portuguese adults living with diabetes has climbed to an unprecedented 14.2 percent, according to the latest annual bulletin from the National Diabetes Observatory. The figure translates into roughly 1.2 million people aged 20–79 who already have the disease, while nearly half of all cases remain undiagnosed. When those at the pre-diabetic stage are added, more than four in every ten adults are either diabetic or at high risk.

A Long, Steady Climb

• 2009: 11.7 % (age-adjusted)• 2015: 13.3 %• 2018: 13.6 %• 2021: 14.1 %• 2024: 14.2 %

The progression highlights a persistent, decade-and-a-half trend that shows no sign of reversing. Analysts link the rise to a perfect storm of population ageing, expanding waistlines, sedentary routines and dietary patterns rich in processed foods. More than 90 percent of diagnosed cases are type 2 diabetes—largely preventable, yet increasingly common.

Economic Weight on the National Health Service

Direct spending on diabetes care was estimated at €1.5–1.8 billion last year, eating up roughly 5–6 percent of total health expenditure and more than a tenth of the Service’s consolidated budget. These calculations cover medication, consultations, hospital stays and devices; indirect costs such as lost productivity remain poorly mapped but are assumed to push the total burden much higher.

Complications: Progress and Persistent Gaps

• Years of life lost due to diabetes have fallen by 39 percent over the past ten years, a sign that earlier treatment and improved therapies are paying off.• Amputations linked to the disease, however, have remained stubbornly unchanged for a decade—an outcome public-health authorities describe as “deeply worrying.”• Screening reach for diabetic retinopathy still covers only about half the target population, while metabolic control indicators show uneven gains across primary-care units.

Why So Many Cases Go Unnoticed

Roughly 44 percent of people with diabetes have yet to be told they have it. Specialists blame fragmented data between public and private providers, limited access to routine screening in some regions and low health literacy among vulnerable groups. Pre-diabetes affects 28.8 percent of adults, meaning preventive measures could still avert or delay thousands of new cases each year.

What Is Being Done

• National Diabetes Programme: The Directorate-General of Health updated its action plan for 2024 and 2025, stressing multidisciplinary teams, structured patient education and improved electronic-record integration.• Risk Assessment Drive: From 2021 to 2023, risk questionnaires were applied to 3.41 million users of primary-care centres—about 55 percent of the eligible population—marking a 9 percent jump over the previous three-year cycle.• School-Age Campaigns: The Association for the Protection of Diabetics rolled out a children-focused initiative under the European EDENT1FI consortium to explore routine type 1 screening. Final results are expected later this week.• Lifestyle Promotion: A government order issued this spring places nutrition literacy and physical-activity programmes at the heart of the next prevention phase, calling on municipalities and workplaces to create community-based interventions.• Professional Training: Portuguese experts have joined international efforts, including the recent training of more than 250 Mozambican doctors in diabetes management, reinforcing Portugal’s role in Lusophone health cooperation.

What Experts Recommend Next

Scale systematic screening in primary care to close the diagnostic gap.

Deploy digital registries that cover both public and private encounters, providing real-time surveillance.

Expand reimbursement for continuous glucose-monitoring technology, especially for vulnerable groups.

Embed nutrition and exercise curricula in schools as compulsory subjects.

Introduce fiscal incentives that encourage retailers and restaurants to cut sugar, salt and saturated fat in processed products.

Bottom Line

Portugal’s diabetes epidemic has shifted from a looming threat to an immediate reality. The latest prevalence record underscores that treatment alone will not keep pace with new cases. Unless prevention, early detection and lifestyle change take centre stage, the human and economic toll is set to climb even further.