Over the past decade, some progress has been made in identifying and characterizing variants of DNA polymorphisms of genes associated with predisposition to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The analysis of gene polymorphisms in combination with socio-demographic, clinical and metabolic parameters can be considered as a promising approach to identify high-risk groups for the development of T2DM. The review includes foreign and domestic studies of predictive models for the risk of developing T2DM comprising single-nucleotide polymorphisms, published in the period from 2006 to 2021. The search for the literature sources was carried out on the PubMed platform. The predictive accuracy of polygenic risk scores was assessed by comparing the area under the curve (AUC). The most commonly used clinical predictors of T2DM risk are sex, age, BMI, family history of diabetes, presence of arterial hypertension, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio. All genetic risk models for T2DM had lower AUC values than phenotypic (clinical) risk models. The addition of genetic factors has, in turn, improved AUC compared to purely clinical risk models in many studies, which may be a useful tool for primary prevention of T2DM. However, only those polymorphisms that strongly confirm their association with the risk of developing T2DM in different populations studies should be added to predictive risk scales.