1. Unmanaged diabetes can cause heart issues, stroke, vision loss, amputation and other complications that result in long-term illness, hospitalization or emergency care. 2. Each year, 33,000 people are newly diagnosed. 3. Black South Carolinians are almost 2.5 times more likely than white South Carolinians to die from diabetes-related complications. 4. Annual cost of care for those with diabetes in SC is $6.1 billion. 5. More than half of all adults in SC are living with diabetes or pre-diabetes.

Diabetes in South Carolina

Diving into the Statistics

Diabetes imposes a heavy toll on the health of South Carolinians. Its human and financial costs are enormous.

Diabetes presents risk for complications such as heart and kidney disease that can severely reduce the quality and length of life. More than half of adults in South Carolina are living with diabetes or prediabetes1.

Statistics show disparity

Black South Carolinians suffer disproportionately. Research shows 16.4% of Black adults have diabetes compared with 11.3 of white adults2. Black individuals have more than double the risk of dying from diabetes that white individuals (46.5 vs. 18.9 deaths per 100,000 respectively, 2017-20193).

Reducing diabetes we can shrink these health disparities.

Complexity calls for teamwork

No single effort will defeat diabetes. This is why DFSC teams up with partners to improve diabetes care, prevention and education across the state. Creating team-based care models, coordinated social supports and unified goals, we will reverse the trend of diabetes in South Carolina.

 

Citations
  1. The Burden of Diabetes in South Carolina (2025). American Diabetes Association.
  2. Diabetes Prevalence, 2011-2019. Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System. SC DHEC.
  3. Diabetes Mortality, 2017-2019. Vital Statistics. SC DHEC.
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Tackling Diabetes in South Carolina

DFSC is a long-term, statewide initiative that aims to transform the health of South Carolinians. Our emphasis is on promoting equity and reducing disparities in access and quality of diabetes prevention, education and care. We align actions against diabetes to help South Carolinians live healthier lives.