The evidence documenting the large—and at least partly avoidable—economic burden of type 2 diabetes has grown rapidly in the past 13 years.

Many studies documenting the economic costs of type 2 diabetes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) have emerged, providing a first picture of the economic impact of diabetes in poorer countries, whereas the evidence on the labour market effects in LMICs remains scarce.

Costs of diabetes, as well as its adverse labour market effects, increase over time and with disease severity, indicating that early investments into prevention and disease management may be particularly worthwhile.

COI studies in particular did not rigorously account for potential biases in their estimation, suggesting that cost-effectiveness studies that make use of these estimates might under- or overestimate the value for money of the respective intervention or drug.