OBJECTIVES: Considering diabetes as a major public health problem worldwide, the aim of our study was to analyze overall volume of use of antidiabetics, compared to Croatia, as the neighboring country, and Denmark, chosen for its rational and conservative prescription practice. METHODS: Data for consumption of antihyperglycaemic drugs (A10) in 2010 were obtained by a retrospective, observational, population-based study. Utilization of these drugs was expressed as DDD per 1000 inhabitants a day (DID). RESULTS: In 2010, antidiabetics (A10) were used at a similar rate in Serbia, Croatia and Denmark (47.34 DID, 49.88 DID and 47.50 DID, respectively), but the share of utilization of insulins (A10A) and oral antidiabetics (A10B) differed between countries. Relatively high proportion of insulin use in Denmark (36.2% of all antidiabetics) compared to Serbia (22.0%) and Croatia (26.4%) may be attributed to high incidence of type 1 diabetes in Nordic countries and compliance with most of recent pharmacotherapeutic guidelines that suggest the use of long-acting insulins (A10AE) in type 2 diabetes (4.0 DID of A10AE in Denmark, in comparison to 1.28 DID in Serbia and 1.91 DID in Croatia). Proportions of oral antidiabetics use also differed between these countries. Metformin, as the only biguanide (A10BA) used and preferred oral agent for type 2 diabetes, accounted for 51.2% of total use of oral antidiabetics in 2010 in Denmark, while sulfonylureas (A10BB), as a second-line treatment, were used at a rate of 36.6%. In Serbia and Croatia, sulfonylureas were used predominantly (55.6% and 48.6, respectively). New medicinal products with effect on the incretin system (A10BH and A10BX) were used at a rate of 4.1 DID in Denmark, contrary to 0.45 DID in Croatia and 0.002 DID in Serbia. CONCLUSIONS: The large differences in utilization of various antidiabetics between observed countries suggest considerable variations in habits, especially with regard to type 2 diabetes treatment.