OBJECTIVES:   <span">Diabetic kidney disease is characterized by persistent albuminuria, a progressive decline in glomerular filtration rate, and elevated blood pressure, posing a high risk for cardiovascular/cerebrovascular events and renal morbidity and mortality. We conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) of published evidence describing the role of albuminuria and serum creatinine in predicting chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease. METHODS:   <span">Embase^®, MEDLINE^®, Cochrane Library and PubMed were searched for human studies published in English between January 2000 and May 2016. Text word or MeSH headings were used to identify non-interventional studies of albuminuria or serum creatinine and associated renal outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease. Implementation and reporting followed National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommendations and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards. RESULTS:   <span">2249 publications were identified, with 614 retained after deduplication. After title screening, 179 publications remained. Two independent assessors conducted a second round of screening by abstract, resulting in 80 publications representing multiple subpopulations and countries, of which 19 required full text screening to confirm inclusion. Exclusion criteria were: outcome not of interest (n=54); measure not of interest (n=38); population not of interest (n= 2); intervention (n= 2); methodology (n=2); review (n= 1). Although most were longitudinal prospective (n= 32), retrospective (n= 9) and cohort (n= 24) studies, cross‑sectional studies (n= 9) and predictive models (n= 6) were also included. CONCLUSIONS:   <span">With global population increases in type 2 diabetes and diabetic kidney disease, a better understanding of predictive biomarkers of renal outcomes is needed. This ongoing SLR identified a broad range of studies that, when pooled, will help to enhance our understanding of the role of albuminuria and serum creatinine in predicting the progression of diabetic kidney disease.