Aims The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationships between the duration of diabetes and the current statuses of diabetes in elderly (aged ≥65 years) patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods Clinical characteristics were cross‐sectionally examined in 1436 patients (684 elderly and 752 non‐elderly) with type 2 diabetes. Results As the duration of diabetes increased, the patients' age, frequency of receiving insulin therapy and glycated hemoglobin value increased in both the elderly and non‐elderly groups, whereas the urinary C‐peptide immunoreactivity and glomerular filtration rate decreased. The duration of diabetes (years) was significantly associated with the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03–1.07, P < 0.01), nephropathy (OR 1.03, 95% CI 1.01–1.05, P < 0.01) and neuropathy (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.05–1.12, P < 0.01), but not with cerebrovascular disease (OR 1.01, 95% CI 0.99–1.03, P = 0.38), coronary heart disease (OR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00–1.04, P = 0.09) or peripheral artery disease (OR 1.02, 95%CI 0.99–1.05, P = 0.12) in the elderly patients after adjusting for the traditional risk factors of diabetic angiopathies. In contrast, the duration of diabetes showed a significant association with the prevalence of both diabetic micro‐ and macroangiopathies in the non‐elderly patients. Conclusions It should be noted that atherosclerotic diseases are present in the clinical setting for the management of elderly diabetic patients independent of the duration of diabetes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 24–30.