Abstract Background and objective Considering the importance of diabetes and its increased prevalence with aging, this study aimed to evaluate the association between diabetes status and quality of life (QOL) and the determining factors in individuals over 60. Methods Two thousand three hundred seventy-five individuals including 819 (34.5%) with diabetes, aged 69.4 ± 6.4, from Bushehr Elderly Health Program (BEHP) were enrolled. We categorized the participants as non-diabetic, controlled diabetic, and poorly controlled diabetic. The QOL was assessed using the SF-12 questionnaire. The physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) component summaries of QOL were estimated. We compared the SF-12 domains and components between the categories using ANOVA. Further, the association of diabetes status with PCS and MCS was assessed after adjustment for possible confounders including age, sex, depression, cognitive impairment, physical activity, and other relevant factors using linear regression analysis. Results Individuals with diabetes had lower PCS (40.9 ± 8.8 vs. 42.7 ± 8.6, p-value