10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Free to use.
FINDRISC (Finnish Diabetes Risk Score) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The instrument contains 8 items.
Source / attribution: Lindström J, Tuomilehto J. Diabetes Care. 2003;26(3):725-731.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, FINDRISC is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 8 items below to see your FINDRISC score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 4-point scale (0–4). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
FINDRISC uses simple summation: each item's selected response is converted to a numeric value, and the values are added to produce a total score. Reverse-scored items are inverted before summation.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 0–6 | Low risk | Approx. 1 in 100 develop diabetes in 10 years. |
| 7–11 | Slightly elevated risk | Approx. 1 in 25. |
| 12–14 | Moderate risk | Approx. 1 in 6 — consider OGTT and lifestyle advice. |
| 15–20 | High risk | Approx. 1 in 3 — fasting glucose / HbA1c and intensive lifestyle support. |
| 21–26 | Very high risk | Approx. 1 in 2 — formal evaluation for diabetes. |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Age | 45 – 54 | 2 |
| 2 | Body mass index (kg/m²) | 25 – 30 | 1 |
| 3 | Waist circumference (men / women) | M 94–102 / F 80–88 | 3 |
| 4 | ≥ 30 min daily physical activity at work and / or leisure? | No | 2 |
| 5 | Eat vegetables / fruit / berries every day? | No | 1 |
| 6 | Ever taken antihypertensive medication? | Yes | 2 |
| 7 | Ever measured high blood glucose (e.g., screening, illness, pregnancy)? | No | 0 |
| 8 | Family history of diabetes (type 1 or 2) | Grandparent / aunt / uncle / cousin | 3 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
2 + 1 + 3 + 2 + 1 + 2 + 0 + 3 = 14
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 14 falls between 12 and 14 → Moderate risk
Moderate risk. Approx. 1 in 6 — consider OGTT and lifestyle advice.
A score is one input alongside history and examination. FINDRISC supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
If FINDRISC doesn't fit your context, related instruments in endocrinology include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUST | Screen for adult malnutrition risk | 3 | — |
| MNA-SF | Malnutrition risk in older adults | 6 | — |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
| MELD-Na | 3-month mortality in advanced liver disease; transplant prioritization | 5 | — |
FINDRISC (Finnish Diabetes Risk Score) is a validated instrument that assesses 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. The 8 items are summed to produce a total score.
FINDRISC contains 8 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 0 to 26, grouped into 5 interpretation bands from ‘Low risk’ up to ‘Very high risk’.
On the FINDRISC (total score 0–26), scores of 21–26 fall in the ‘Very high risk’ band — interpreted as: Approx. 1 in 2 — formal evaluation for diabetes. The full ladder is: 0–6 — Low risk: Approx. 1 in 100 develop diabetes in 10 years.; 7–11 — Slightly elevated risk: Approx. 1 in 25.; 12–14 — Moderate risk: Approx. 1 in 6 — consider OGTT and lifestyle advice.; 15–20 — High risk: Approx. 1 in 3 — fasting glucose / HbA1c and intensive lifestyle support.; 21–26 — Very high risk: Approx. 1 in 2 — formal evaluation for diabetes. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 0–6 fall in the ‘Low risk’ band: Approx. 1 in 100 develop diabetes in 10 years. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
Yes — FINDRISC is in the public domain and free for clinical, educational, and research use without permission. You can use this calculator and the scale itself freely; if you publish results or reproduce the scale, cite the original source paper.
Lindström J, Tuomilehto J. The diabetes risk score: a practical tool to predict type 2 diabetes risk. Diabetes Care. 2003;26(3):725-731. This is the original publication for the FINDRISC — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. FINDRISC is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of 10-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
FINDRISC is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: