About 14% of Iran’s adult population, roughly 7.5 million people, live with diabetes, and nearly one in three are unaware of their condition, the head of Iran’s Endocrine and Metabolism Research Institute, Bagher Larijani, said on Monday.

Larijani told reporters that 500,000 new cases are added each year, warning that poor diet, obesity, and low physical activity are driving a “growing national health burden.” 

He said diabetes and its complications consume up to 15% of Iran’s healthcare spending and shorten healthy life expectancy by about 300,000 years annually.

He added that 9 million Iranians have pre-diabetes and that only a quarter of treated patients maintain proper glucose control. 

The health ministry, he said, plans to boost public awareness and expand early screening under a new “80-80-80” plan – ensuring 80% of citizens know their status, 80% receive treatment, and 80% achieve stable blood-sugar control.