Every day, millions of Indonesians reach for sweet bottled drinks to quench their thirst. But behind that refreshing taste lies a growing public health crisis. Indonesia is now ranked fifth in the world for diabetes cases, with 19.5 million adults living with the condition, an alarming sign of how lifestyle and diet are reshaping national health.
According to the International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas (11th edition, 2021), one in nine adults worldwide aged 20 to 79 is living with diabetes, totaling around 589 million people in 2024. That number is expected to skyrocket to 853 million by 2050. Even more concerning, 252 million people with diabetes—over 40% of the global total—are unaware of their condition.
The cost of treatment is equally staggering. In 2024, global spending for diabetes-related healthcare reached US$1 trillion, marking a 338% increase in just 17 years.
Indonesia sits among the top five nations with the highest number of diabetes cases:
- China: 140.9 million
- India: 74.2 million
- Pakistan: 33 million
- United States: 32.2 million
- Indonesia: 19.5 million
The Center for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) attributes the rise in diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to diets high in sugar, salt, and fat. Obesity, another major NCD, has also surged in Indonesia. Data from Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) shows that obesity prevalence doubled from 10.5% in 2007 to 23.4% in 2023.
Among the key drivers of this trend is the widespread consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, especially those sold in ready-to-drink packaging (MBDK). Findings from the 2023 National Socioeconomic Survey (Susenas) reveal that two out of three Indonesians drink at least one sugary beverage daily.
CISDI highlights the serious health risks associated with these habits. “Drinking 250 ml of a sugary beverage daily raises the risk of type 2 diabetes by 27%, obesity by 12%, heart disease by 13%, and early death by 10%,” the organization stated, referencing a global meta-analysis.
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The financial burden is also becoming unsustainable. BPJS Kesehatan, Indonesia’s national health insurance provider, is spending increasingly large amounts on catastrophic diseases linked to obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Between 2019 and 2023, health spending rose by more than 43%, jumping from IDR 19 trillion to IDR 32 trillion.
To counter the rising tide, CISDI is urging the government to act. Among their recommendations are the implementation of Front-of-Package Labeling (FOPL) to provide clear nutritional warnings and an excise tax on sugary beverages to reduce consumption.
The report emphasizes that without strong policy action, Indonesia will continue to see a sharp rise in diabetes cases. Easy access to unhealthy foods and drinks remains a key threat. These preventive strategies, according to CISDI, should be included in the government’s 2025–2029 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN) to help curb the worsening obesity and NCD crisis.
