Type 2 Diabetes Risk Calculator
A quick screening score for your risk of type 2 diabetes, based on the established risk factors — age, body weight, family history, blood pressure, and activity level.
How to Use This Calculator
- Select your age band and BMI band (height/weight category).
- Answer the risk-factor questions — sex, family history, blood pressure, physical activity, and gestational-diabetes history.
- Read your score and risk band, with a suggested next step.
This is a screening estimate to decide whether a blood test is worthwhile — it cannot diagnose diabetes or prediabetes. Share the result with your doctor.
How the Risk Score Works
This tool adds points for the well-established risk factors for type 2 diabetes, in the style of the ADA Diabetes Risk Test. Each factor — older age, higher BMI, family history, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and a history of gestational diabetes — independently raises risk. The total points place you in a risk band.
A total of 5 or more suggests increased risk and a worthwhile conversation about blood-glucose testing.
Interpreting Your Score
| Score | Risk band | Suggested next step |
|---|---|---|
| 0–3 | Lower risk | Maintain healthy habits; re-check periodically |
| 4 | Borderline | Consider discussing screening with your doctor |
| 5+ | Increased risk | Ask your doctor about a blood-glucose test |
Some risk factors (e.g. ethnicity, prediabetes) aren't captured here, so a low score doesn't rule out risk.
Prediabetes & Type 2 Diabetes: Symptoms and Diagnosis
Warning signs to watch for
Type 2 diabetes often develops silently, but possible signs include increased thirst and urination, fatigue, blurred vision, slow-healing cuts, frequent infections, and tingling in the hands or feet. Prediabetes usually has no symptoms at all, which is why screening from risk factors matters.
Diagnostic blood-test thresholds
A diagnosis is made on blood results, not symptoms. The standard ADA cut-offs are:
| Test | Prediabetes | Diabetes |
|---|---|---|
| HbA1c | 5.7–6.4% | ≥ 6.5% |
| Fasting glucose | 100–125 mg/dL | ≥ 126 mg/dL |
| 2-hour OGTT | 140–199 mg/dL | ≥ 200 mg/dL |
A random glucose of 200 mg/dL or more with classic symptoms also indicates diabetes. Results are usually confirmed on a second test.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this calculator diagnose diabetes?
No. It is a screening score that estimates risk from known factors. Diagnosing diabetes or prediabetes requires a blood test — fasting glucose, HbA1c, or an oral glucose tolerance test — ordered by a clinician.
What raises the risk of type 2 diabetes?
Major factors include older age, overweight or obesity, a parent or sibling with diabetes, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, and a history of gestational diabetes. Ethnicity and prediabetes also matter.
My score is high — what should I do?
A higher score means screening is worthwhile. Ask your doctor about a blood-glucose test. Many risk factors are modifiable — weight, activity, and blood pressure — and improving them lowers risk.
Is insulin resistance the same as diabetes risk?
They are related. Insulin resistance often precedes type 2 diabetes. To estimate insulin resistance from blood results, see our HOMA-IR calculator.
What are the early signs of type 2 diabetes?
Early type 2 diabetes is often silent, but possible signs include increased thirst and urination, tiredness, blurred vision, slow-healing wounds, frequent infections, and tingling in the hands or feet. Because symptoms can be absent, risk-based screening and a blood test are the reliable way to catch it.
Can type 2 diabetes be prevented?
Often, yes — especially from prediabetes. The Diabetes Prevention Program found that losing about 7% of body weight and doing 150 minutes of activity a week cut the risk of progressing to type 2 diabetes by roughly 58%. Diet quality, sleep and not smoking also help.
Sources
- American Diabetes Association. Type 2 Diabetes Risk Test and Standards of Care — screening.
- CDC. Prediabetes risk factors and screening recommendations.
Last reviewed: June 2025