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Abstract Background Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), formerly known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, is the leading cause of liver disease that can ultimately lead to cirrhosis. Identifying a screening marker for early diagnosis of MAFLD in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. This study investigated the association between the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and MAFLD in patients with T2D. Method A retrospective case–control study was conducted and medical records of patients with T2D were assessed. The baseline characteristics, anthropometric indices, laboratory measurements including liver functions tests, fasting blood sugar, HbA1C, lipid profile were documented. Results Out of 2547 patients with T2D, 824 (32.4%) had MAFLD. The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed a significant difference in female-to-male ratio (1.11 vs. 1.33, OR = 0.347, P-value < 0.001), ALT (42.5 ± 28.1 vs. 22.4 ± 11.1, OR = 1.057, P-value < 0.001), and AIP (0.6 ± 0.3 vs. 0.5 ± 0.3, OR = 5.057, P-value < 0.001) between MAFLD and non-MAFLD groups, respectively. According to the AIP quartile, the prevalence of MAFLD increased significantly in patients with higher AIP quartiles (P-value < 0.001). Also, we found a cut-off of 0.54 for AIP in predicting MAFLD in patients with T2D (sensitivity = 57.8%, specificity = 54.4%). Conclusion In this study, we found that AIP is a good and independent predictor for MAFLD in patients with T2D which could help physicians in early diagnosis and follow-up of patients with T2D.