Inspired by a more complex dashboard to better understand the direct correlation between GDP and the prevalence of diabetes, I created the chart below:

So the short answer is yes… the prevalence of diabetes increases in correlation to a lower GDP.

This chart is based on the dashboard and data provided by Ramon Martinez on his blog post Prevalence of Diabetes in the World, 2013.

Below is the chart on which brought to mind my question about diabetes and GDP — Hans Rosling’s Health and Weath of Nations, revised as of January 2015.

 

GapMinderImage

 

Hans Rosling is a professor of global health at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, and a leader in data visualization, focusing on dispelling common myths about the so called developing world. What sets Rosling apart isn’t just his apt observations of broad social and economic trends, but the stunning way he presents them. If you’re interested, his site is gapminder.org and below is his most popular TED talk “The best stats you’ve ever seen”