Gestational diabetes increased every year in the United States from 2016 to 2024, according to a new analysis by Northwestern Medicine that examined data from more than 12 million U.S. births. Over the nine-year period, rates rose by 36%, increasing from 58 to 79 cases per 1,000 births, with consistent growth observed across all racial and ethnic groups.
Gestational diabetes is a form of glucose intolerance first identified during pregnancy and is associated with serious short-term and long-term health risks for both mothers and their children. These include pregnancy complications as well as a higher likelihood of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.
“Gestational diabetes has been rising steadily for more than a decade, indicating that current strategies to prevent diabetes during pregnancy are not effective,” said senior author Dr. Nilay Shah, assistant professor of cardiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He noted that the trend likely reflects declining overall health among young adults, including poorer diets, reduced physical activity, and increasing obesity.
The new findings update the research team’s earlier work covering 2011 to 2019 and confirm nearly 15 consecutive years of uninterrupted increases in gestational diabetes nationwide. For the study, researchers analyzed birth certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics, focusing on first singleton pregnancies between 2016 and 2024.
When results were broken down by race and ethnicity, the highest rates in 2024 were found among American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander women. Researchers emphasized that these groups are often underrepresented in health research, limiting understanding of the factors contributing to their elevated risk.
The authors stress that the findings highlight an urgent need for improved public health and policy interventions. “These data clearly show that we are not doing enough to support the health of women before and during pregnancy,” Shah said. Expanding access to high-quality care and supporting healthy behaviors, he added, will be critical to reversing this troubling trend.
