World Diabetes Day
Posted on Friday, 14 November 2025 under Wellness,
Friday 14 November is World Diabetes Day.
The theme this year is Know more and do more for diabetes at work.
World Diabetes Day is marked every year on 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin in 1921. For millions of people, going to work with diabetes is a daily reality – but it can often become a source of stress, stigma, and fear in the workplace. Despite growing awareness of employee wellbeing, many people with diabetes still struggle to balance their health with work expectations, leading them to hide or not be open about their condition. This can impact mental wellbeing and career growth.
Quick facts
- 589 million adults are living with diabetes worldwide.
- 7 in 10 people with diabetes are of working age.
- 3 in 4 people with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries.
- Close to half of adults living with diabetes are undiagnosed.
- 3 in 4 people living with diabetes surveyed by the International Diabetes Foundation (IDF) have experienced anxiety, depression, or other mental health conditions because of their diabetes.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that happens when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that helps glucose from carbohydrates we eat pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. Not being able to produce insulin or use it effectively leads to raised glucose levels in the blood, which can cause damage to the body and failure of organs and tissues.
There are two types of diabetes:
- Type one: an auto-immune condition where the body attacks insulin-producing cells, so insulin can't be produced.
- Type two: where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin, or the cells in the body don’t recognise the insulin that's made - both cause high levels of glucose in the blood.
Diabetes doesn't just affect you physically, it can affect you emotionally too. People with diabetes may feel stressed, feeling low and depressed, or burnt out because of managing their symptoms.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms for both types of diabetes may include:
- Thirst
- Very tired
- Weight loss
- Mood changes
- Extreme hunger
- Passing more urine than usual
- Poor eyesight or blurred vision
- Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting
- Poor concentration and performance
- Frequent infections which are hard to heal
How is it diagnosed?
If you don't have symptoms:
- Common screening checks, like cardiovascular risk assessment, also include tests for HbA1c
- Two abnormal HbA1c results are needed to confirm the diagnosis
- If you're at risk, you should get an HbA1c test at least every three years
Are you at risk?
You might be more likely to develop type two diabetes if:
- You've had diabetes in your family
- You're Māori, Asian, Middle Eastern or Pacific Island descent aged 30 years or older
- You're NZ European aged 40 years or older
- You have or have had high blood pressure or high blood glucose
- You're overweight
- You're diagnosed as having pre-diabetes
- If you gave birth to a large baby weighing more than 9lbs / 4kg
- You had high blood glucose in pregnancy or have had gestational diabetes
