PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Diabetes mellitus prevalence is increasing throughout the world as a consequence of growing rates of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and westernization of lifestyle. It is currently unknown to what extent these trends affect the global burden of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). This review seeks to describe the global burden of DKD and how it has changed throughout time using recently released results of the Global Burden of Disease 2017 Study. RECENT FINDINGS: DKD prevalence has remained fairly stable at the global level and among many world regions since 1990. At the global level, the proportion of DKD deaths relative to other types of CKD is increasing. Certain world regions still have very high rates of DKD, whereas other world regions have decreasing prevalence and mortality. Screening will likely play an important role in mitigating the growing burden within high-risk regions.