Blood Sugar
- biomarkers
- 7,088 reports with HbA1c
Key takeaways
- Elevated blood sugar remains widespread: 38.7% of tested reports, compared with 37.2% last year. This year’s HbA1c analysis covers 7,088 reports—more than four times last year’s sample.
- Elevated blood sugar is nearly twice as common in the 30s as in the 20s: 33.0% versus 16.7% of HbA1c reports.
- Men in their 30s have 2.4 times the share of diabetes-range results as women of the same age: 10.3% versus 4.3%. The gap is much smaller in the 50s.
- Half of family members’ blood-sugar reports are elevated: 51.4%, compared with 31.3% of employee reports. The tested family group is much older.
- Mumbai has the highest share of elevated blood sugar among the five metros, at 46.8%. Among women’s reports in Mumbai, the share reaches 49.8%—nearly half.
- More than a third of reports show elevated blood sugar in both editions
- Elevated blood sugar nearly doubles from the 20s to the 30s
- In the 30s, diabetes-range results are more than twice as common in men as women
- Half of family members’ HbA1c results are elevated
- Mumbai leads the five metros; nearly half of women’s results are elevated
- One in five fasting-glucose reports shows elevated blood sugar
- Prediabetes offers a chance to reduce future diabetes risk
- The larger prediabetes group needs prevention alongside diabetes care
- About these results
Nearly four in ten blood-sugar reports in this sample are above the normal range, and the larger part falls in the prediabetes range. Of 7,088 HbA1c results from employees and covered family members, 25.4% are in the prediabetes range and 13.3% in the diabetes range. These ranges matter because prevention and diabetes care answer different needs. For someone with confirmed prediabetes, food and physical-activity changes can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Confirmed diabetes needs ongoing clinical care. A clinician must establish what each result means and which follow-up fits the person.
India's national picture gives those two needs scale. The ICMR-INDIAB study estimated 136 million adults with prediabetes and 101 million with diabetes in 2021 (Anjana et al., Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 2023). These Loop reports are a tested, insured sample rather than a population estimate. Within that sample, almost twice as many results sit in the prediabetes range as in the diabetes range—making what follows an early raised result a central question for this page. NIDDK: Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes.
HbA1c reflects average blood sugar over about three months. The table separates the ranges; a diabetes-range result usually needs confirmation before diagnosis.
View data table
| HbA1c range | Threshold | Share | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the prediabetes threshold | Below 5.7% | 61.3% | 4,348 |
| Prediabetes range | 5.7% to below 6.5% | 25.4% | 1,799 |
| Diabetes range | At or above 6.5% | 13.3% | 941 |
| Total | All analysed HbA1c reports | 100.0% | 7,088 |
More than a third of reports show elevated blood sugar in both editions#
Elevated blood sugar remained common as the HbA1c sample grew more than fourfold. The reported share rose by 1.5 percentage points, from 37.2% in WHI 2025 to 38.7% in WHI 2026.
The increase was in the prediabetes range: its share rose from 23.7% to 25.4%, a gain of 1.7 percentage points. The diabetes-range share changed little, from 13.5% to 13.3%, down 0.2 points.
These are the reported shares in the 2025 sample of 1,649 people tested and the current 7,088 laboratory reports. The comparison describes the two tested samples; their selection and composition can differ.
Elevated blood sugar nearly doubles from the 20s to the 30s#
One in six in the 20s. One in three in the 30s. More than half in the 40s. These are the shares of HbA1c reports showing elevated blood sugar in each age group. The pattern is already substantial in early and mid-career adulthood.
View data table
| Adult age band | HbA1c at or above 5.7% | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 16.7% | 2,050 |
| 30–39 | 33.0% | 2,627 |
| 40–49 | 52.9% | 1,001 |
| 50–59 | 69.1% | 751 |
| 60+ | 78.3% | 590 |
The share continues upward in the older groups, reaching 69.1% in the 50s and 78.3% at 60 and above. The age pattern spans both working-age adults and older family members.
In the 30s, diabetes-range results are more than twice as common in men as women#
Among HbA1c reports from people aged 30–39, 10.3% of men's reports were in the diabetes range, compared with 4.3% of women's. The male share was about 2.4 times the female share. The difference is much smaller when both the prediabetes and diabetes ranges are combined: 34.6% versus 31.0%.
HbA1c ≥6.5%.
View data table
| Age band | Women's reports | Men's reports | Women ≥5.7% | Men ≥5.7% | Women ≥6.5% | Men ≥6.5% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–29 | 937 | 1,113 | 18.0% | 15.6% | 1.7% | 2.8% |
| 30–39 | 1,105 | 1,522 | 31.0% | 34.6% | 4.3% | 10.3% |
| 40–49 | 440 | 561 | 51.6% | 54.0% | 17.3% | 22.6% |
| 50–59 | 438 | 313 | 69.6% | 68.4% | 31.1% | 32.9% |
| 60+ | 306 | 284 | 80.7% | 75.7% | 41.5% | 41.2% |
The diabetes-range shares are close in the 50s and nearly equal at 60 and above. The combined elevated shares follow a different pattern: at 60 and above, women's reports have the higher share.
Half of family members’ HbA1c results are elevated#
51.4% of reports recorded as family members were at or above 5.7%, compared with 31.3% of employee reports. The family group combines relatives without separating spouses, children and parents. Which family members can use employer-funded services depends on the plan.
View data table
| Recorded relationship | HbA1c at or above 5.7% | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| Employee (Self) | 31.3% | 4,482 |
| Family member (Others) | 51.4% | 2,606 |
The family result is 20.1 percentage points above the employee result. But these groups have very different ages: 43.2% of family reports are from people aged 50 and above, compared with 4.8% of employee reports. The overall gap includes this large difference in age; it does not show that family status itself raises risk.
Mumbai leads the five metros; nearly half of women’s results are elevated#
Mumbai has the highest share of elevated HbA1c results, at 46.8%, followed by Pune at 43.2%. Bengaluru has the lowest of the five metro shares, at 30.7%.
Within Mumbai, 49.8% of women’s HbA1c reports are elevated, compared with 43.9% of men’s. That puts nearly half of the tested women’s results in the prediabetes or diabetes range. These comparisons describe tested reports in each metro.
View data table
| Metro | Reports | Prediabetes range, 5.7%–<6.5% | Diabetes range, ≥6.5% | Combined, ≥5.7% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mumbai | 872 | 29.7% | 17.1% | 46.8% |
| Pune | 2,562 | 30.8% | 12.4% | 43.2% |
| Hyderabad | 426 | 22.5% | 16.7% | 39.2% |
| Delhi NCR | 689 | 19.7% | 12.9% | 32.7% |
| Bengaluru | 1,515 | 20.4% | 10.3% | 30.7% |
Compared with the published 2025 samples, the elevated share rose by 8.6 percentage points in Mumbai (38.2% to 46.8%) and 13.0 points in Pune (30.2% to 43.2%). It fell by 0.9 points in Hyderabad (40.1% to 39.2%), 10.4 points in Delhi/Delhi NCR (43.1% to 32.7%) and 2.1 points in Bangalore/Bengaluru (32.8% to 30.7%).
City differences between editions reflect different tested samples, not population health trends. WHI 2025 city samples ranged from 130 to 384 reports.
Pune has the highest share among people in their 20s in this three-city comparison: 24.2%, against 19.5% in Mumbai and 13.3% in Bengaluru. Mumbai’s lead across all ages therefore does not hold in this younger group. At 60 and above, more than three quarters of reports are elevated in all three cities.
| Metro | Age band | HbA1c at or above 5.7% | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | 20–29 | 13.3% | 549 |
| Mumbai | 20–29 | 19.5% | 185 |
| Pune | 20–29 | 24.2% | 645 |
| Bengaluru | 60+ | 78.9% | 95 |
| Mumbai | 60+ | 86.1% | 108 |
| Pune | 60+ | 80.8% | 156 |
One in five fasting-glucose reports shows elevated blood sugar#
Of 4,251 reports with fasting glucose, 20.3% were at or above 100 mg/dL. This includes 11.9% in the prediabetes range and 8.4% in the diabetes range.
| Fasting-glucose range | Share of 4,251 reports |
|---|---|
| 100 to below 126 mg/dL | 11.9% |
| At or above 126 mg/dL | 8.4% |
| Combined, at or above 100 mg/dL | 20.3% |
The elevated fasting-glucose share fell by 18.5 percentage points, from 38.8% in the 2025 sample of 98 people tested to 20.3% in the current 4,251 reports. The earlier sample was small and the mix of people selected for this test can differ between editions. This is a change in the tested samples.
Fasting glucose measures blood sugar at the time of the test, after fasting. HbA1c reflects a longer period. The two tests can identify different results in the same person, so a clinician considers the test and the person's circumstances when interpreting an elevated result. NIDDK: The A1C Test & Diabetes.
Prediabetes offers a chance to reduce future diabetes risk#
There is evidence from India that structured support can help. In the Indian Diabetes Prevention Programme, lifestyle advice reduced diabetes incidence by 28.5% relative to the control group over about three years. The trial involved 531 Indian adults with impaired glucose tolerance, a high-risk result on a glucose tolerance test. Participants were mainly men (Ramachandran et al., Diabetologia, 2006).
Diabetes can damage blood vessels and affect the heart, kidneys and eyes. Managing blood glucose and blood pressure is part of protecting these organs. That is why ongoing care matters after diabetes is identified. NIDDK: Preventing Diabetes Problems.
We often treat a diabetes diagnosis as if the job is done: check the HbA1c, prescribe a medicine, give a diet chart. But what happens after that? Does the person stay on the same medicine and the same diet plan year after year?
Diabetes care has to deal with several things together—what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, and the activity you can keep doing. You cannot hand the same exercise plan to someone in their twenties and someone in their late forties and expect it to work for both. Age, physical ability and preferences matter.
Find the problem early, yes. Then keep following up. Review whether treatment is working and whether the plan needs to change. That continued care is how we work to prevent the heart, kidney and vision complications that make diabetes so damaging.
Dr Mihir Shah
Family Physician
Loop Health
The larger prediabetes group needs prevention alongside diabetes care#
The 25.4% in the prediabetes range and 13.3% in the diabetes range call for different kinds of support. Clinician review can establish what each result means. For people with confirmed prediabetes, sustained support with food and physical activity can help reduce future diabetes risk. People with confirmed diabetes need ongoing clinical care. The Preventive Care page gives separate survey context on reported health activities.
About these results#
Figures count laboratory reports, not unique people. The analysis treats 112 HbA1c results with missing units as percentages. Adult tables exclude under-20s and missing ages; metro groups use report pincodes. These tested groups are not population estimates.
References
- 1Loop Health. India Workforce Health Index 2025: Blood Sugar. HbA1c and fasting-glucose distributions. Published page. Accessed 8 September 2026.
- 2Anjana RM, Unnikrishnan R, Deepa M, et al. Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study (ICMR-INDIAB-17). Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 2023;11:474–489. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(23)00119-5.
- 3Ramachandran A, Snehalatha C, Mary S, et al. The Indian Diabetes Prevention Programme shows that lifestyle modification and metformin prevent type 2 diabetes in Asian Indian subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IDPP-1). Diabetologia. 2006;49:289–297. doi:10.1007/s00125-005-0097-z.
- 4National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The A1C Test & Diabetes; Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes; Preventing Diabetes Problems. Accessed 8 September 2026.