Background <p>Diabetes is a public health problem in India. Assessing young population for the risk of diabetes and activity inactivity pattern will help in preventing the disease in those at high risk.</p> Objective <p>To assess the risk of diabetes in medical and nursing students of a tertiary teaching hospital by using Indian Diabetes Risk Score (IDRS) and correlate it with activity inactivity pattern assessed by International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-short form.</p> Methods&#xa0;&#xa0; <p>IPAQ and diabetes awareness and knowledge (DAK) questionnaire were administered and IDRS was calculated in medical and nursing students in their early years of training, after obtaining basic history and anthropometric measurements.</p> Results <p>Filled forms of total 341 students (31.4% nursing) were analyzed. Median (IQR) age was 20 (2) years. Overweight and obesity was seen in 16.7% and 27.1% respectively. IDRS was low, moderate, and high in 22.7%, 76.0%, and 1.3% respectively. Total IPAQ score was low, moderate, and high in 11.1%, 57.4% and 31.5% students respectively. Median scores of IDRS and IPAQ were comparable in both medical and nursing students though energy spent in vigorous and moderate activities was higher in medical students while that with walking was higher in nursing students (<i>p</i> 0.003, 0.044, and 0.001 respectively). Sitting time was comparable in both medical and nursing students. Total energy spent in activities more so in vigorous and moderate activities had negative correlation with IDRS score and positive correlation with DAK score.</p> Conclusion <p>Most of the medical and nursing students are at moderate risk of developing diabetes.</p>