Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the main non-transmissible chronic diseases in the world and mainly affects developing countries such as Brazil. Current data on the burden of this disease on the health of the population are needed for the formulation of more effective public policies. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the regional inequalities of epidemiological indicators of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Brazil, its administrative regions, and federative units in 2017. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of Brazilian rates in 2017 extracted from the Global Burden of Disease. The epidemiological indicators for type 2 diabetes mellitus studied were as follows: incidence, prevalence, and mortality per 100,000 inhabitants; disability-adjusted life years; years living with disability; mortality by incidence ratio; years of life lost. To describe the epidemiological indicators of type 2 diabetes mellitus, averages and respective confidence intervals of 95% were used. Results: In 2017, there was an important regional disparity of type 2 diabetes mellitus according to the Brazilian regions. The Northeast region was the most impacted in all indicators analyzed and the Midwest region was the region less impacted. Conclusion: There is an important disparity of type 2 diabetes mellitus rates in Brazilian regions, representing an important public health challenge in coping with the burden of the disease and reducing regional disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]