Diabetes and American Indians/Alaska Natives

  • In 2024, American Indian/Alaska Native adults were diagnosed with diabetes 36% more often than the total population.1
  • In 2021, non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska Natives died from diabetes 66% more often than the total population.2

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Diagnosed cases of diabetes

Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes, percentage, 2024
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native /
Total Population Ratio
13.610.01.36
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, 2019–2021
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native /
Total Population Ratio
Men13.49.61.40
Women13.78.71.57
Total13.69.11.49
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 American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native /
Total Population Ratio
16.08.91.80
Source: CDC, 2022. National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021. Table 2.

Death rates

Diabetes mortality, age-adjusted rate per 100,000 population, 2022
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Male55.034.81.58
Female45.826.01.76
Both Sexes50.430.41.66
Source: CDC, 2024. Deaths: Final Data for 2021. 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
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native /
Total Population Ratio
Not Reported28.8Not Reported
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
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot ReportedNot Reported
Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.
Lower extremity amputations among admissions adults ages 18 and over with diabetes, rate per 100,000 population, 2020
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot ReportedNot Reported
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
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
288.4Not ReportedNot Reported
Source: AHRQ. National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Reports. Data Query.

Preventative health

Adults ages 18 and over with diagnosed diabetes who received an annual eye examination in the calendar year, percentage, 2023
Non-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native /
Total Population Ratio
Not Reported66.0Not Reported
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
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot 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 American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationNon-Hispanic American Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot 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
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot 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
American Indian/Alaska NativeTotal PopulationAmerican Indian/Alaska Native / 
Total Population Ratio
Not ReportedNot 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, 2024. Deaths: Final Data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 73, No. 8. Table 10. (Back to top)


Date Last Reviewed: September 2025