Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes mellitus occurs when the body cannot make enough insulin during pregnancy.28 The condition affects about 2%–10% of pregnancies in the United States and occurs more frequently than prepregnancy diabetes (diagnosis of diabetes before pregnancy).28, 23 Gestational diabetes can lead to negative health outcomes for both mothers and infants, including an increased risk of preterm birth, having a cesarean delivery, maternal hypertensive disorders, and developing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes later in life.28, 29, 30, 31 Gestational diabetes varies by demographic factors, such as race and Hispanic origin, and maternal age.

Figure 17. Rate of gestational diabetes by maternal race and Hispanic origin, 2016–2022
Rate of gestational diabetes by maternal race and Hispanic origin, 2016–2022

NOTE: NH = non-Hispanic origin; AIAN = American Indian or Alaska Native; NHOPI = Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. The 1997 U.S. Office of Management and Budget standards for data on race and ethnicity were used to classify people into one of the following five racial groups: White, Black or African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. All categories are single race. Data on race and Hispanic origin are collected and reported separately. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Natality.

  • From 2016 to 2022, the rate of gestational diabetes increased from 60 per 1,000 live births to 81 per 1,000
  • The rate of gestational diabetes increased for all race and Hispanic origin groups from 2016 to 2021 and was highest for Asian, non-Hispanic women.
  • In 2022, the rate of gestational diabetes was highest for Asian, non-Hispanic women at 158 per 1,000, which was 93 points higher than the rate for Black, non-Hispanic women; 85 points higher than the rate for White, non-Hispanic women; 73 points higher than the rate for Hispanic women; 46 points higher than the rate for Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, non-Hispanic women; and 31 points higher than the rate for American Indian or Alaska Native, non-Hispanic women.

Figure 18. Rate of gestational diabetes by maternal age, 2016–2022
Rate of gestational diabetes by maternal age, 2016–2022

SOURCE: National Center for Health Statistics, National Vital Statistics System, Natality.

  • The risk of gestational diabetes increases with age. In 2022, the rate of gestational diabetes in women age 40 and over was 151 per 1,000, which was 125 points higher than the rate for adolescents ages 15–19; 106 points higher than the rate for women ages 20–24; 81 points higher than the rate for women ages 25–29; 60 points higher than the rate for women ages 30–34; and 32 points higher than the rate for women ages 35–39.
  • The rate of gestational diabetes increased for each age group from 2016 to 2022, except for ages 40 and over. For women ages 40 and over, the rate increased from 2016 to 2020 and then was stable.

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23 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, December 30). Gestational diabetes. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/about/gestational-diabetes.html.

28 Osterman, M. J. K, Hamilton B. E., Martin, J. A., Driscoll, A. K., & Valenzuela, C. P. (2023). Births: Final Data for 2021. National Vital Statistics Reports, 72(1). National Center for Health Statistics. DOI: https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:122047.

29 Rosenberg, T. J., Garbers, S., Lipkind, H., & Chiasson, M. A. (2005). Maternal obesity and diabetes as risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes: Differences among 4 racial/ethnic groups. Am J Public Health, 95(9), 1545–1551. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.065680.

30 Lee, A. J., Hiscock, R. J., Wein, P., Walker, S. P., & Permezel, M. (2007). Gestational diabetes mellitus: Clinical predictors and long-term risk of developing type 2 diabetes: A retrospective cohort study using survival analysis. Diabetes care, 30(4), 878–883. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc06-1816.

31 Adam, S., McIntyre, H. D., Tsoi, K. Y., Kapur, A., Ma, R. C., Dias, S., Okong, P., Hod, M., Poon, L. C., Smith, G. N., Bergman, L., Algurjia, E., O'Brien, P., Medina, V. P., Maxwell, C. V., Regan, L., Rosser, M. L., Jacobsson, B., Hanson, M. A., O'Reilly, S. L., . . . FIGO Committee on the Impact of Pregnancy on Long-term Health and the FIGO Division of Maternal and Newborn Health. (2023). Pregnancy as an opportunity to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus: FIGO Best Practice Advice. Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 160 (Suppl 1), 56–67. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijgo.14537.

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