Introduction: Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, so its clinical identification helps to identify these patients at high risk. Objective: To determine the combinations of metabolic syndrome for the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in a sample of Peruvian population. Methods: 5-year cohort study of secondary analysis of the PERU MIGRANT study database. The altered components of the metabolic syndrome were low high-density lipoprotein, hypertriglyceridemia; and elevated glucose, blood pressure and waist circumference. In total 35 subgroups of metabolic syndrome components: 5 groups for each of the 5 components, 10 groups for combinations of 2 components and 3 components, 5 groups for the combination of 4 components. Results: In the multiple regression analysis, only G as an independent factor presented a statistically significant relative risk (RR= 9.02; 95 % CI 2.45-33.24; p= 0.001). In relation to the combination of 2 factors, only the combination of glucose-elevated abdominal waist (RR= 7.28; 95 % CI 1.21-43.64; p= 0.030) and glucose-high-density lipoprotein (RR= 10.94; 95 % CI 2.71-44.23; p= 0.001) presented a statistically significant relative risk. Finally, patients with the glucose-high-density lipoprotein-abdominal waist combination had 7.80 times the risk of presenting type 2 diabetes mellitus versus those who did not (PR= 7.80; CI: 95 % 1.39-43.77; p= 0.020). Conclusion: The combinations that include at the same time glucose-high density lipoproteins-abdominal waist, were the most associated combinations.