Diabetes Risk Score Calculator (FINDRISC)
Take the validated Finnish Diabetes Risk Score to estimate your 10-year probability of type 2 diabetes.
How this estimate is derived
- Model:
- Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC)
- Primary reference:
- Lindström J, Tuomilehto J, Diabetes Care 2003;26(3):725-731
- Implementation last reviewed:
- 2026-08-29
- Purpose:
- Educational risk estimation only; not a clinical diagnosis.
How this is calculated
FINDRISC assigns points across 8 factors — age, BMI, waist circumference, physical activity, diet, blood pressure medication, history of elevated blood glucose, and family history of diabetes — for a score from 0 to 26. It was developed and validated across 18 European studies and is used by health services, including the WHO, as a simple population-screening tool.
Each risk band corresponds to a validated approximate probability of developing type 2 diabetes within 10 years, based on the original cohort follow-up data. See the BMI & Body Weight calculator if you need to work out your BMI from height and weight, and the Heart Disease Risk calculator for a related cardiovascular risk estimate.
Frequently asked questions
- What is FINDRISC?
- The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC), a validated 8-item questionnaire developed from a study of over 50,000 Europeans. It is used by health services across Europe, and adopted by the WHO, as a simple population-screening tool for type 2 diabetes risk.
- What does my score mean?
- Your score (0-26) places you into one of five validated risk bands: 0-7 low (~1% 10-year risk), 8-11 slightly elevated (~4%), 12-14 moderate (~17%), 15-20 high (~33%), and 21+ very high (~50%).
- Can I reduce my risk?
- Yes. Physical activity, diet, and weight are the three largest modifiable factors in the FINDRISC score — improving any of them lowers your calculated risk, and clinical trials show these changes meaningfully reduce actual diabetes incidence too.
- Is this for Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes?
- Type 2 only. Type 1 diabetes has different, largely genetic and autoimmune risk factors that this questionnaire does not capture.
- What is waist circumference and how do I measure it?
- A horizontal measurement around your bare abdomen at the level of your navel, not at your belt line — use a flexible tape measure, standing relaxed, without pulling the tape tight.
- What counts as a "close relative"?
- A parent, sibling, or child. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and first cousins count as "distant" relatives for this score.
- What counts as physically active?
- At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity — brisk walking, cycling, or similar — on most days of the week.
- I scored high — what do I do?
- See a GP for a fasting glucose or HbA1c test to check where you currently stand. If you are at elevated risk, structured lifestyle programmes like the Diabetes Prevention Programme have been shown to reduce progression to diabetes by around 58%.
- Can I use this in my own app?
- Yes — every calculator on Stupidly Clever has a matching REST API and MCP tool that runs the same underlying logic.