WHO: three in four Africans with diabetes don't know they have it
- The WHO says about 75 percent of adults with diabetes in Africa have not been diagnosed.
- An estimated 24.6 million adults in the region had diabetes in 2024, a figure projected to reach 59.5 million by 2050.
- Regional director Mohamed Janabi urged early testing and warned of kidney failure, blindness and amputations.
About three out of every four adults living with diabetes in Africa do not know they have the disease, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned, leaving millions at risk of serious complications before they ever get treatment.
Mohamed Janabi, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, gave the figure in a message for World Diabetes Day 2026, marked on November 14 under the theme "Early Action on Diabetes".
According to the WHO, an estimated 24.6 million adults aged 20 to 79 were living with diabetes in the WHO African Region in 2024. That number is projected to reach 59.5 million by 2050.
The region has the highest share of undiagnosed diabetes cases in the world, the agency said. Many people only learn their status after complications have already set in.
Why it matters for Nigerian households
Diabetes that goes untreated can lead to kidney failure, blindness, heart disease and lower-limb amputations. In Nigeria, where many families pay for care out of their own pockets, a late diagnosis often means years of costly treatment or a sudden loss of income when a breadwinner falls ill.
Janabi listed the warning signs Nigerians should watch for: increased thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, persistent tiredness and blurred vision. He urged anyone with these symptoms to seek testing and medical advice promptly.
He also advised people at higher risk to get screened even when they feel fine, noting that diabetes can develop without obvious symptoms.
Early diagnosis and timely treatment can prevent complications, reduce suffering and save lives,
Janabi said, according to the message.
He called on communities to share accurate information about the disease and to challenge the stigma that stops some people from seeking care.
The WHO said it is supporting African countries to strengthen diabetes services at primary health centres and first-level referral facilities. The tools include WHO PEN, a package for essential noncommunicable disease care, and HEARTS-D, which guides the diagnosis and management of type 2 diabetes.
Janabi praised Rwanda for rolling out the PEN-Plus programme across all its districts. But he said big gaps remain across the continent in trained health workers, diagnostic services, essential medicines and continuous care.
What happens next
The WHO is asking African governments, including Nigeria's, to build diabetes prevention, early testing and ongoing treatment into primary healthcare and universal health coverage plans. That would mean sustained spending on public awareness, affordable insulin and other essential medicines, testing equipment and trained staff.
Development partners, civil society groups and the private sector were also urged to back government-led efforts, especially in underserved communities.
The agency said it remains committed to helping member states meet the 2030 targets of the Global Diabetes Compact framework for the African Region.
