Abstract Background Understanding where adults with diabetes in India are lost in the diabetes care cascade is essential for the design of targeted health interventions and to monitor progress in health system performance for managing diabetes over time. This study aimed to determine (i) the proportion of adults with diabetes in India who have reached each step of the care cascade and (ii) the variation of these cascade indicators among states and socio-demographic groups. Methods We used data from a population-based household survey carried out in 2015 and 2016 among women and men aged 15–49 years in all states of India. Diabetes was defined as a random blood glucose (RBG) ≥ 200 mg/dL or reporting to have diabetes. The care cascade—constructed among those with diabetes—consisted of the proportion who (i) reported having diabetes (“aware”), (ii) had sought treatment (“treated”), and (iii) had sought treatment and had a RBG