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FINDRISC Diabetes Risk Score

The Finnish Diabetes Risk Score: estimated 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

For everyoneDiabetes & metabolic healthv1.0.1

Your measurements

years
Sex
At least 30 minutes of physical activity every day (work or leisure)?
Do you eat vegetables, fruit or berries every day?
Have you ever taken medicine for high blood pressure regularly?
Have you ever been found to have high blood glucose (check-up, illness, pregnancy)?
Family members diagnosed with diabetes

Calculated on your device. Nothing is sent to a server.

Your result will appear here

Enter your measurements, then press Calculate.

Methodology

Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (Lindström & Tuomilehto, 2003)

8 items, 0–26 points; levels low <7, slightly elevated 7–11, moderate 12–14, high 15–20, very high >20 (Brazilian Diabetes Society 2025)

Lindström and Tuomilehto (2003) derived the score in a Finnish population cohort; their published score had 7 items (0–20). The Brazilian Diabetes Society's 2025 guideline uses the 8-item version, which adds family history (0–26); its five risk levels are used here.

Who it is for
Adults without diagnosed diabetes.
Version
1.0.1

How this calculator works

Where the formula comes from

  • Lindström and Tuomilehto (2003) derived the score in a random Finnish population sample aged 35–64 without antidiabetic drug treatment, followed for 10 years for drug-treated diabetes (4,435 people, 182 cases), and tested it in an independent 1992 survey with 5-year follow-up.[1]

The inputs

  • The 2003 score used age, BMI, waist circumference, antihypertensive drug treatment, history of high blood glucose, physical activity and daily fruit, berry or vegetable intake, and ranged from 0 to 20.[1]
  • A score of 9 or more had sensitivity 0.78 and 0.81 and specificity 0.77 and 0.76 for drug-treated diabetes in the 1987 and 1992 cohorts.[1]

Versions and alternatives

  • The questionnaire form in current use adds family history of diabetes (3 points for a grandparent, aunt, uncle or first cousin; 5 points for a parent, sibling or child), giving a maximum of 26 points.[2]

Where accuracy falls (published evidence)

  • At a score of 9 or more the positive predictive value was low (0.13 and 0.05 in the two cohorts), so most people above the cut-off did not develop drug-treated diabetes during follow-up.[1]

What guidelines say

  • The Brazilian Diabetes Society (2025) recommends FINDRISC for risk stratification and classes scores as low (under 7), slightly elevated (7–11), moderate (12–14), high (15–20) and very high (over 20).[2]
  • The same guideline recommends screening adults classified at high or very high FINDRISC risk, and an oral glucose tolerance test when fasting glucose and HbA1c are normal but the FINDRISC score is high or very high.[2]

Sources

  1. Lindström J, Tuomilehto J. The diabetes risk score: a practical tool to predict type 2 diabetes risk. Diabetes Care. 2003;26(3):725–731. doi:10.2337/diacare.26.3.725
  2. Brazilian guideline for screening and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: a position statement from the Brazilian Diabetes Society. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2025;17:73. doi:10.1186/s13098-024-01572-w

Compiled from the published sources above. Every statement was agreed independently by three AI research tools (Claude, ChatGPT, DeepSeek) and its source verified in PubMed or Crossref by the Hakeemly editorial team. Not reviewed by a doctor unless stated. Agreed on

Worked example: how to calculate FINDRISC

Inputs

Age
50 years
Sex
Male
Height
175 cm
Weight
90 kg
Waist circumference (below the ribs, usually at the navel)
100 cm
At least 30 minutes of physical activity every day (work or leisure)?
No
Do you eat vegetables, fruit or berries every day?
Yes
Have you ever taken medicine for high blood pressure regularly?
No
Have you ever been found to have high blood glucose (check-up, illness, pregnancy)?
No
Family members diagnosed with diabetes
Parent, brother, sister or own child

Result

FINDRISC score
13 of 26

Moderate (12–14)

An illustration with sample values, worked out with the same method the tool above uses.

Limitations

  • A screening questionnaire, not a test for diabetes. Only a blood test (HbA1c, fasting glucose or glucose tolerance test) can diagnose diabetes.
  • At a score of 9 or more the positive predictive value was low in the 2003 study (0.13 and 0.05), so most people above that cut-off did not develop drug-treated diabetes during follow-up.

References

  1. Lindström J, Tuomilehto J. The diabetes risk score: a practical tool to predict type 2 diabetes risk. Diabetes Care. 2003;26(3):725–731. doi:10.2337/diacare.26.3.725
  2. Brazilian guideline for screening and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes: a position statement from the Brazilian Diabetes Society. Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2025;17:73. doi:10.1186/s13098-024-01572-w

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