Diabetes Rates in Europe (2026)
Diabetes rates vary across Europe, with some countries and territories reporting noticeably higher adult diabetes prevalence than others. This page ranks European countries by estimated diabetes prevalence using the latest available data.
The ranking helps compare where diabetes rates are highest and lowest across Europe, from the Faroe Islands, Montenegro, and Albania near the top to Belarus, the Netherlands, and Norway near the bottom.
Diabetes Rates in Europe Rankings
| # | Country | Est. Diabetes Prevention (%) | Global Rank | Continent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇫🇴Faroe Islands |
19.2% | 21 | Europe |
| 2 | 🇲🇪Montenegro |
10.7% | 71 | Europe |
| 3 | 🇦🇱Albania |
10.6% | 73 | Europe |
| 4 | 🇵🇹Portugal |
10.5% | 75 | Europe |
| 5 | 🇷🇸Serbia |
10.5% | 76 | Europe |
| 6 | 🇭🇷Croatia |
10.5% | 77 | Europe |
| 7 | 🇧🇦Bosnia and Herzegovina |
10.3% | 81 | Europe |
| 8 | 🇦🇩Andorra |
10.1% | 86 | Europe |
| 9 | 🇲🇹Malta |
10% | 88 | Europe |
| 10 | 🇪🇸Spain |
9.7% | 92 | Europe |
| 11 | 🇮🇪Ireland |
9% | 100 | Europe |
| 12 | 🇸🇲San Marino |
8.6% | 104 | Europe |
| 13 | 🇭🇺Hungary |
8.3% | 108 | Europe |
| 14 | 🇵🇱Poland |
8.1% | 111 | Europe |
| 15 | 🇯🇪Jersey |
8.1% | 115 | Europe |
| 16 | 🇬🇷Greece |
8% | 117 | Europe |
| 17 | 🇩🇪Germany |
7.8% | 119 | Europe |
| 18 | 🇮🇹Italy |
7.7% | 122 | Europe |
| 19 | 🇨🇿Czech Republic |
7.6% | 127 | Europe |
| 20 | 🇷🇴Romania |
7.5% | 132 | Europe |
| 21 | 🇱🇹Lithuania |
7.5% | 134 | Europe |
| 22 | 🇮🇲Isle of Man |
7.5% | 135 | Europe |
| 23 | 🇬🇧United Kingdom |
7.4% | 136 | Europe |
| 24 | 🇧🇬Bulgaria |
7.4% | 138 | Europe |
| 25 | 🇲🇰North Macedonia |
7.4% | 139 | Europe |
| 26 | 🇱🇮Liechtenstein |
7.2% | 142 | Europe |
| 27 | 🇸🇰Slovakia |
7.1% | 144 | Europe |
| 28 | 🇱🇻Latvia |
7.1% | 145 | Europe |
| 29 | 🇸🇮Slovenia |
7% | 146 | Europe |
| 30 | 🇫🇮Finland |
6.9% | 148 | Europe |
| 31 | 🇪🇪Estonia |
6.9% | 149 | Europe |
| 32 | 🇮🇸Iceland |
6.9% | 150 | Europe |
| 33 | 🇲🇨Monaco |
6.9% | 151 | Europe |
| 34 | 🇫🇷France |
6.5% | 158 | Europe |
| 35 | 🇩🇰Denmark |
6.4% | 161 | Europe |
| 36 | 🇲🇩Moldova |
6.3% | 162 | Europe |
| 37 | 🇺🇦Ukraine |
6% | 164 | Europe |
| 38 | 🇷🇺Russia |
5.9% | 165 | Europe |
| 39 | 🇧🇪Belgium |
5.9% | 166 | Europe |
| 40 | 🇸🇪Sweden |
5.8% | 168 | Europe |
| 41 | 🇱🇺Luxembourg |
5.8% | 169 | Europe |
| 42 | 🇦🇹Austria |
5.4% | 173 | Europe |
| 43 | 🇨🇭Switzerland |
5.3% | 174 | Europe |
| 44 | 🇧🇾Belarus |
5.1% | 177 | Europe |
| 45 | 🇳🇱Netherlands |
5% | 179 | Europe |
| 46 | 🇳🇴Norway |
4.8% | 186 | Europe |
Key Findings
Faroe Islands Has the Highest Diabetes Rate in Europe
- Faroe Islands ranks #1 in Europe with an estimated diabetes prevalence of 19.2%.
- It is followed by Montenegro (10.7%), Albania (10.6%), Portugal (10.5%), and Serbia (10.5%).
Balkan Countries Rank Relatively High
- Montenegro, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia all appear in the upper half of Europe’s diabetes prevalence ranking.
- This shows that several Balkan countries report higher diabetes prevalence than much of Northern and Western Europe.
Southern Europe Shows Several Higher Rates
- Portugal (10.5%), Spain (9.7%), Malta (10.0%), Greece (8.0%), and Italy (7.7%) sit across the middle-to-upper part of the ranking.
- This suggests diabetes prevalence varies widely even within Southern Europe.
Northern and Western Europe Tend to Rank Lower
- Several lower-ranking countries include Norway (4.8%), Netherlands (5.0%), Switzerland (5.3%), Austria (5.4%), Belgium (5.9%), and Sweden (5.8%).
- These countries have some of the lowest diabetes prevalence rates in Europe in this dataset.
Europe Has a Wide Gap Between Highest and Lowest Rates
- Europe’s diabetes prevalence ranges from 19.2% in the Faroe Islands to 4.8% in Norway.
- This shows a major difference in estimated diabetes prevalence across European countries and territories.
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Diabetes Rates in Europe
- Faroe Islands — 19.2%
- Montenegro — 10.7%
- Albania — 10.6%
- Portugal — 10.5%
- Serbia — 10.5%
- Croatia — 10.5%
- Bosnia and Herzegovina — 10.3%
- Andorra — 10.1%
- Malta — 10.0%
- Spain — 9.7%
Top 10 Countries with the Lowest Diabetes Rates in Europe
- Norway — 4.8%
- Netherlands — 5.0%
- Belarus — 5.1%
- Switzerland — 5.3%
- Austria — 5.4%
- Sweden — 5.8%
- Luxembourg — 5.8%
- Russia — 5.9%
- Belgium — 5.9%
- Ukraine — 6.0%
About Diabetes Rates in Europe
Diabetes rates in Europe measure the estimated percentage of adults living with diabetes in each European country or territory. This percentage-based view makes it easier to compare countries of different population sizes because it focuses on prevalence rather than total diabetes cases.
In this dataset, the Faroe Islands has the highest estimated diabetes prevalence in Europe at 19.2%, followed by Montenegro, Albania, Portugal, Serbia, and Croatia, all above 10%. At the lower end of the ranking, Norway, the Netherlands, Belarus, Switzerland, and Austria report some of the lowest diabetes prevalence rates in Europe.
Diabetes prevalence should be interpreted carefully because rates can be influenced by age structure, lifestyle patterns, obesity levels, diet, physical activity, healthcare access, diagnosis rates, and data quality. This ranking is best used as a regional comparison of diabetes prevalence across European countries.
Definitions & Methodology
What do diabetes rates in Europe measure?
Diabetes rates in Europe measure the estimated percentage of adults living with diabetes in each European country or territory. The ranking is based on diabetes prevalence, not total diabetes cases.
How are European countries ranked?
Countries and territories are ranked from highest to lowest by estimated diabetes prevalence. A higher percentage means a larger share of adults are estimated to be living with diabetes.
What does the percentage mean?
The percentage shows the estimated share of adults with diabetes. For example, 19.2% means about 19.2 out of every 100 adults are estimated to be living with diabetes.
Why can diabetes prevalence differ between countries?
Diabetes prevalence can vary because of differences in age structure, lifestyle, diet, obesity levels, urbanization, physical activity, healthcare access, diagnosis rates, and data quality.
Sources
Diabetes Rates in Europe FAQs
Which country has the highest diabetes rate in Europe?
Faroe Islands has the highest diabetes rate in Europe in this dataset at 19.2%, followed by Montenegro, Albania, Portugal, Serbia, and Croatia.
Which country has the lowest diabetes rate in Europe?
Norway has the lowest diabetes rate in Europe in this dataset at 4.8%, followed by the Netherlands, Belarus, Switzerland, and Austria.
Which European countries have diabetes rates above 10%?
Faroe Islands, Montenegro, Albania, Portugal, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Andorra, and Malta have diabetes prevalence rates of around 10% or higher in this dataset.
How does the United Kingdom compare with Germany and France?
In this dataset, the United Kingdom (7.4%) has a lower diabetes prevalence than Germany (7.8%) but higher than France (6.5%).
How are diabetes rates in Europe measured?
Diabetes rates in Europe are measured as the estimated percentage of adults living with diabetes in each country or territory, allowing places with different population sizes to be compared by prevalence.