This study investigates the predictive power of 13 obesity- and lipid-related indices in identifying type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were analyzed, including 7902 participants aged 45 years or older. The study assessed the association of these indices with T2DM using binary logistic regression and evaluated the predictive anthropometric index through ROC curve analysis. The prevalence of T2DM was 9.02% in males and 9.15% in females. All 13 indices showed modest predictive power (AUC > 0.5), with TyG-WHtR being the best predictor (AUC = 0.600 for males and AUC = 0.664 for females). The study highlights the importance of these indices in early identification of T2DM and suggests that they can be used to guide prevention and treatment strategies for T2DM in the elderly.This study investigates the predictive power of 13 obesity- and lipid-related indices in identifying type 2 diabetes (T2DM) among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. Data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were analyzed, including 7902 participants aged 45 years or older. The study assessed the association of these indices with T2DM using binary logistic regression and evaluated the predictive anthropometric index through ROC curve analysis. The prevalence of T2DM was 9.02% in males and 9.15% in females. All 13 indices showed modest predictive power (AUC > 0.5), with TyG-WHtR being the best predictor (AUC = 0.600 for males and AUC = 0.664 for females). The study highlights the importance of these indices in early identification of T2DM and suggests that they can be used to guide prevention and treatment strategies for T2DM in the elderly.