Objective   To understand the mortality and disease burden of diabetes in Inner Mongolia autonomous region during 1990–2019, and provide basic data support and theoretical basis for the development of diabetes prevention and control related policies.

  Methods   Using data from the global burden of disease study 2019 (GBD 2019), we calculated crude mortality, standardized mortality, disability adjusted life year (DALY) rates, early life loss (YLL) rates, years lived with disability (YLD) rates in adults with diabetes in Inner Mongolia during 1990–2019, the annual percentage change (APC) was used to reflect changing trends of disease burden caused by diabetes.

  Results   The mortality rate of diabetes increased from 3.58/100000 to 8.03/100000 in Inner Mongolia during 1990–2019, with an APC of 2.8%. The DALY rates increased from 2.90 per 1000 person years to 6.59 per 1000 person years with an APC of 3.0%. Whereas both the standardized mortality rate and standardized DALY rate declined first and then increased, but the standardized mortality rate and standardized DALY rate in men showed an increasing trend. And all the above trend changes were statistically significant (P<0.05). The number of deaths, mortality rate, and disease burden all increased with age and reached peaks in age group ≥70 years.

  Conclusion   Inner Mongolia had a serious burden of diabetes, the burden of the disease and disability in men was most serious, and it is necessary to strengthen diabetes prevention and control and conduct targeted intervention in the elderly.