1 Vol.:(0123456789) Scientifc Reports | (2021) 11:21733 | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-01256-9 www.nature.com/scientificreports Prevalence and risk factors of type‑2 diabetes mellitus in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta‑analysis Melkamu A. Zeru 1* , Endalamaw Tesfa 2 , Aweke A. Mitiku 1,4 , Awoke Seyoum 1 & Tesfaye Abera Bokoro 3 Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a public health problem in developing as well as developed nations. DM leads to many complications that are associated with higher morbidity and mortality worldwide. Therefore, the current study was planned to assess the prevalence and risk factors of type‑2 DM in Ethiopian population. Six electronic databases such as: PubMed, Scopus, Hinari, Web of science, Google Scholar, and African Journals Online were searched for studies published in English up December 30, 2020. Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used for quality assessment of the included studies. The data was extracted by Microsoft excel and analyzed through Stata version 16 software. The random efect meta‑regression analysis was computed at 95% CI to assess the pooled prevalence and risk factors of type‑2 DM. Forty observational studies were included in this systematic review and meta‑analysis. The pooled prevalence of DM in Ethiopia was 6.5% (95% CI (5.8, 7.3)). The sub‑group analysis revealed that the highest prevalence of DM was found in Dire Dawa city administration (14%), and the lowest prevalence was observed in Tigray region (2%). The pooled prevalence of DM was higher (8%) in studies conducted in health facility. Factors like: Age ≥ 40 years ((Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 1.91 (95% CI: 1.05, 3.49)), Illiterate (AOR: 2.74 (95% CI: 1.18, 6.34)), Cigarette smoking (AOR: 1.97 (95% CI: 1.17, 3.32)), Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m 2 (AOR: 2.01 (95 CI: 1.46, 2.27)), family history of DM (AOR: 6.14 (95% CI: 2.80, 13.46)), history of hypertension (AOR: 3.00 (95% CI: 1.13, 7.95)) and physical inactivity (AOR: 5.79 (95% CI: 2.12, 15.77)) were signifcantly associated with type‑2 DM in Ethiopian population. In this review, the prevalence of type‑2 DM was high. Factors like: Older age, illiteracy, cigarette smoking, MBI ≥ 25, family history of DM, history of hypertension and physical inactivity were an identifed risk factors of type‑2 DM. Therefore, health education and promotion will be warranted. Further, large scale prospective studies will be recommended to address possible risk factors of type‑2 DM in Ethiopian population. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a category of metabolic disorders characterized by hyperglycemia, which occurs when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin or when the body cannot use it. Diabetes causes a slew of complica- tions that are linked to increased morbidity and mortality 1,2 . Diabetic Mellitus (DM) was prevalent in 9.3% of the world’s population 3 . Te mortality rate due to diabetes mellitus decreased from 2000 to 2010, then increased from 2010 to 2016 in the developed world, while the mortality rate due to DM increased in low-income countries during both periods 4 . Te rise in the prevalence and incidence of diabetes has been attributed to changes in urban habits, which have been linked to sedentary behaviour 5 . In the next two decades, countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are predicted to see a signifcant rise in diabetes patients 6 . Te prevalence of diabetes in Sub-Sahara Africa was reported to be lower (3%) than the global prevalence (8.5%) in 2016. However, undiagnosed diabetes mellitus in Africa (66.7%) is almost two times higher than that of developed countries 37% 7,8 , which contributes to the higher burden of morbidity and mortality in Africa. OPEN 1 Department of Statistics, College of Science, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. 2 Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine and Health Science, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. 3 Department of Statistics, College Computing and Informatics, Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. 4 School of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science, College of Agriculture Engineering and Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa. * email: melkamu.ayana@gmail.com