Respondent anonymized raw data from the survey.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a growing global public health concern, especially in Pakistan where an estimated 33 million people (aged 20–79 years) have diabetes. This pilot study explores T2DM risk using FINDRISC scoring, and examines participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and costs of care related to T2DM across sexes.Adult participants (aged 25–65 years) residing in a low-income neighborhood in Rawalpindi, Pakistan were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Data was collected via SurveyCTO® software-based questionnaire, incorporating the standardized FINDRISC tool and questions assessing diabetes-related knowledge, management practices, and the costs associated with disease management. Standardized anthropometric measurements were obtained for all individuals. Descriptive analysis, cross tabulations by sexes, Chi-square, and Fisher Exact probability tests were performed using Stata 17. The study included 260 participants (84 men, 176 women) with a mean age of 41 ± 11.8 years. Anthropometric measures revealed obesity in 44% and elevated waist circumference in 45% of men and 83% of women. Based on FINDRISC scoring, 9 (13%) men and 30 (30%) women exhibited a high risk of developing T2DM (p