Type 2 diabetes detected in Malaysians as young as 14, Health Minister warns

TYPE 2 diabetes is now being diagnosed in Malaysians as young as 14 years old, highlighting the growing threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the country's younger population, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday.

"This is worrying," Dzulkefly said.

He revealed that 1,932 patients under the age of 30 were registered in the National Diabetes Registry (NDR) in 2025, a slight increase from 1,926 cases recorded in 2024. As of June this year, a further 660 new cases had already been registered.

Responding to a question from Datuk Dr Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong) on the rising incidence of NCDs among young Malaysians, Dzulkefly cited findings from the 2025 National Health Screening Initiative.

Of the 347,813 individuals aged between 18 and 30 who underwent health screening, 3.4 per cent were found to have elevated blood glucose levels, while 8.8 per cent had high blood pressure, despite 98.1 per cent reporting no previous history of non-communicable diseases.

The minister warned that many young Malaysians are unknowingly living with risk factors associated with hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity.

He described NCDs as a "silent pandemic", noting that while the Covid-19 pandemic claimed more than 37,000 lives over two years, non-communicable diseases now account for approximately 94,000 deaths annually in Malaysia.

On the government's anti-obesity and sugar reduction initiatives, Dzulkefly said early indicators showed encouraging behavioural changes among the public.

Daily consumption of carbonated drinks among adolescents declined from 36.9 per cent in 2019 to 32.4 per cent in 2024, while overall consumption of sugary beverages dropped significantly from 36.9 per cent to 16.4 per cent over the same period.

He attributed the improvement to the ministry's "War on Sugar" campaign and the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB) tax, which has since been increased to 90 sen per litre.

However, Dzulkefly said it remained too early to comprehensively assess the long-term effectiveness of the Strategic Plan to Reduce Sugar Intake Among Malaysians 2024–2030, adding that the ministry would continue strengthening public health literacy and healthy eating initiatives. - July 16, 2026