Type 2 diabetes is increasingly affecting younger Malaysians, with cases now being detected among teenagers as young as 14, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.
He said the development was a warning sign that Type 2 diabetes was no longer a health condition limited to adults, but had become a growing concern among adolescents and young people.
“We are now seeing people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes at a younger age — as early as 14 years old,” he said during the oral question session in the Dewan Rakyat.
Dzulkefly was responding to Datuk Dr Richard Rapu (GPS-Betong), who raised questions on the latest statistics involving non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the effectiveness of the War on Sugar campaign.
According to data from the National Diabetes Registry, new diabetes cases among those below 30 years old increased from 1,926 cases in 2024 to 1,932 cases in 2025, with 660 new cases recorded as of June this year.
The minister said Malaysia was currently facing a silent NCD crisis, with the diseases responsible for around 94,000 deaths annually, exceeding twice the number of fatalities recorded throughout the two-year Covid-19 pandemic.
He added that findings from the Health Ministry’s National Health Screening Initiative, which involved 347,813 individuals aged between 18 and 30 in 2025, also showed worrying health trends among young Malaysians.
From those screened, 11,751 people or 3.4 per cent were found to have elevated blood glucose levels, while 30,170 individuals or 8.8 per cent recorded high blood pressure readings.
Dzulkefly said the results indicated that many young Malaysians may already have risk factors or undiagnosed NCDs without realising it, highlighting the importance of early screening, prevention measures and healthier lifestyle choices.
