As in many countries of the world, Syria, with its 16 million inhabitants, has witnessed a tremendous change in food habits and lifestyle within the last few decades. This has been reflected in the rise of metabolic diseases in general and diabetes in particular. Three studies have shown that the prevalence of diabetes in Syria is probably higher than published reports have claimed. One of the aims of the Syrian National Diabetes Programme, adopted in 1995, was to assess the national situation by carrying out epidemiological studies.