The rate of diabetes in Tunisia is up to 23%

Tunisia held World Diabetes Day events on Saturday 14 November 2026 under the slogan Prevention and Early Care to protect you from diabetes and its complications, amid medical warnings of rising rates of the disease in the country.

Professor of endocrinology, Dr. Fatima Shaker, confirmed in a statement to National Radio News that the rate of diabetes in Tunisia is rising dramatically. She explained that the rate rose from 15% to 23% over the period between 2016 and 2019.

She added that this disease is no longer confined to the class of alcoholics alone, as children and adolescents who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes continue to be in their ranks. This phenomenon referred to profound changes in dietary habits and lifestyle, as well as an increasing focus on fast food saturated with fat and sugars.

Epsom bin Nassaf, a member of the Tunisian Association of Gastroenterologists, revealed that between 25 and 50 percent of people with diabetes in Tunisia carry the disease without their knowledge.