The number of people with diabetes around the world has increased fourfold over the last quarter-century, the World Health Organization reported Wednesday, according to The New York Times.
Diabetes affected 422 million people in 2014. That figure represents 8.5 percent of the global population, up from 4.7 percent or 108 million in 1980.
The WHO is calling for stronger measures to reduce risk factors for diabetes and improve treatment and care of the disease, which has increased in step with the rise of obesity rates. The United Nations health agency blamed growing consumption of high-sugar food and drinks for the increase, according to The New York Times.
While diabetes has increased around the world, it affects lower- and middle-income people more often than wealthier populations, according to the report. Africa, the Middle East and Asia saw the highest increase, with rates doubling to 13.7 percent of the population, according to the report.
The WHO's "Global Report on Diabetes" released Wednesday said diabetes caused 1.5 million deaths in 2012, and another 2.2 million deaths were caused by higher-than-optimal blood glucose levels. The report does not distinguish between Type 1 diabetes, which is characterized by deficient insulin production, and Type 2, in which the body uses insulin ineffectively and is often associated with obesity, according to the report.