The figures, released on Saturday, show that rates of awareness, treatment and control for diabetes remain low, making it one of the diseases with the highest death rates in the whole country.

This is detrimental to the health of the country's labor force and the sustainable development of the economy and society, the commission said.

Diabetes ranks as one of the four chronic diseases that do the greatest harm to people's health and is a factor in various other diseases, according to Wang Guoqiang, deputy director of the National Health and Family Planning Commission and director general of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

A lack of awareness about diabetes prevention among citizens has led to the disease's increased prevalence, Wang said.

The commission has vowed to put more efforts into prevention and treatment for high risk groups, while those prone to contracting diabetes will be offered advice on leading healthier lifestyles and recognizing the disease's early symptoms.

Wang Pengyuan contributed to this story.