Type 2 diabetes is rising sharply among women in their 20s, Imperial study finds
Researchers analysing 13 years of NHS data found the disease falling slightly in older adults while climbing fastest in women aged 20 to 29.
By Source Reporters Newsdesk
Wed, 22 July 2026 · 2 min read
England is seeing a "worrying increase" in young women in their 20s developing type 2 diabetes, researchers at Imperial College London have warned, with most of the rise occurring since the Covid pandemic.
The team analysed NHS data from the English National Diabetes Audit covering 2011 to 2024. The overall picture is one of divergence: incidence is falling slightly among older adults, who still account for the largest share of new diagnoses, while rising rapidly in people under 40. The sharpest increases are among women aged 20 to 29.
Age at diagnosis is not a technicality. Type 2 diabetes can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and when it develops in younger patients it tends to be more aggressive — raising the risk of severe complications and shortening lives, according to Diabetes UK. The charity says early diagnosis in those at risk is vital to prevent long-term organ damage.
The researchers point to obesity as the probable driver. Body mass index at the point of diagnosis has been climbing faster among younger adults than older ones, and obesity rates in England have worsened since the pandemic, with nearly one in three people now affected.
About 12,000 people under 30 in England are now living with type 2 diabetes, according to NHS England estimates, with women making up more of those younger cases. Across the UK, roughly six million people have diabetes, about 90% of them the type 2 form rather than insulin-dependent type 1.
The symptoms are easy to dismiss as ordinary tiredness: feeling exhausted, needing to urinate more than usual, and persistent thirst. That is part of why cases in younger adults are often caught late.
There is a genuine prospect of reversal. Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be pushed into remission through a healthy diet and sustained weight loss, without long-term reliance on glucose-lowering medication. The researchers suggest newer obesity treatments, including GLP-1 injections and pills, might help alongside dietary advice — an approach that depends on reaching people in their 20s before complications begin, rather than after.