Project: Social Impact Bond on Diabetes and Diabetic Retinopathy in Armenia
State of development: Current
Stage of development: Early stage
Type of instrument — Impact Bond: Yes; Outcomes Fund: No; Social Impact Incentives (SIINC): No; Social Impact Guarantee: No; Payment-by-results (no pre-financing): No; Technical Assistance and Market-building program: No; Other: 
Part of a larger outcomes-based financing program: No 
Expected length of project (years): 3
Social/developmental challenge: Armenia is facing a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In Armenia, more than 110,000 people are officially registered as living with diabetes mellitus (DM) - a threefold increase in just 30 years and their number is expected to surpass 150,000 before 2030. According to global estimates by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), almost one in two adults (20-79 years old) with DM are unaware of their diabetes status (2021). For Armenia, the proportion of people with undiagnosed diabetes was estimated at 39.6%1 in 2021, indicating that the actual number of people living with diabetes is much higher than official statistics.
Expected intervention model: The proposed intervention encompasses a comprehensive approach targeting PWD within the selected regions. The intervention will target the entire DM population in these areas for screening sessions, in parallel
to identifying individuals aged between 40 and 56 who are not yet registered. The intervention is planned to be carried out in two regions of Armenia - Lori and Armavir, for a target group of 16, 979 people. Out of those 14,930 are diagnosed with DM and 2,049 are non-diagnosed people in working age. The latter is also important, since the analysis of newly diagnosed patients for T2DM reveals that the average age of diagnosis is largely skewed compared to average age of diagnosis in the world. In particular, as per 2020 data the average age at diagnosis in Lori is 58 years old and in Armavir 55 years old, which is 10 years later than international literature suggests. Prevalence of DM and overall eye disease (mainly DR and glaucoma) have been decisive factors in the selection of two regions.
Policy sectors — Employment and private sector development: No; Education: No; Social protection: No; Criminal justice: No; Health: Yes; Agriculture: No; Environment and climate change: No; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: No; Energy: No; Humanitarian: No; Early Childhood Education: No; Other: No
Primary SDG goal: 3
Target population: People with diabetes (PwD)
Targeted number of unique service users or beneficiaries: 16.979
Unit type of targeted beneficiaries: Individual
Country income classification of beneficiaries — Low-income: No; Lower-middle-income: No; Upper-middle-income: Yes; High-income: No
Notes: Data for this pipeline project was last updated in September 2024
Delivery location: Armenia