Diabetes UK has released the shocking statistics to show that the number of people diagnosed with the condition is growing faster than ever and is a particular issue amongst certain minority ethnic groups.
In black groups type 2 diabetes is as much as three times more common and up to six times more common in South Asian people - in the UK more than 300,000 people from black and minority ethnic groups have diabetes.
A detailed examination by the charity of official figures has found that almost 150,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes in 2008 - in 2007 this number was 100,000 and more of a worry is that the figures represent a conservative estimate - when people with the condition who have died in the past year are taken into account the number of new cases could be as high as 180,000.
Other figures suggest that 20% of the South Asian community and 17% of the black African and Caribbean communities have type 2 diabetes in contrast to 3% of the general population and Diabetes UK is especially keen to reach people from black and minority ethnic groups as they are likely to develop the condition and its various complications at a younger age than the rest of the population.
There are currently 2.5 million people in the UK with diabetes and it is estimated that more than half a million people have the condition but do not know it.
Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK, says this week 75 years ago, Diabetes UK was created and although the work continues to improve people's health, diabetes remains one of the biggest health challenges of our time.
He says the health of the nation must be protected by taking urgent steps to further raise awareness of diabetes and its complications and governments need to put diabetes at the top of their health agenda in 2009.
Mr Smallwood says people need to be supported to make changes to their lifestyle, such as eating healthily, losing weight if appropriate and being physically active, in order to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes and anyone diagnosed with the condition must have access to the best possible care, information and support in order to reduce their risk of developing the serious complications of the condition.
Diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to long-term complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure and amputation.
Short-term complications include hypoglycaemic episodes, known as 'hypos', which can lead to unconsciousness and hospitalisation if left untreated also persistent high blood glucose levels can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) which if untreated can be fatal.
For those with diabetes morbidity is also much higher, especially heart disease (two to three times higher in South Asians), renal failure (four times higher in Asians) and stroke is three times higher in African-Caribbeans.
Diabetes UK wants to use 2009 as a special opportunity to further raise awareness of diabetes and its complications with events to mark the occasion.
Diabetes UK's aims to improve the lives of people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and work towards a world without diabetes - the charity is committed to spending around 8 million on a variety of research projects.