Eating Disorders: 2025 Statistics
Eating disorders affect millions globally—but too many suffer in silence or go without proper care. This guide breaks down key statistics on how widespread these disorders are, who’s most affected, and what’s being done to close the treatment gap and save lives.
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Eating disorders are serious and often fatal illnesses associated with severe disturbances in people’s eating behaviours and related thoughts and emotions. While often trivialised, they are a significant public health issue with devastating personal and economic consequences.
The headline statistic reveals the life-threatening nature of these conditions: in the United States alone, an estimated 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder. This stark figure highlights the urgency of understanding the scope of these illnesses and improving access to life-saving care.
- Overall Prevalence and General Numbers
- Breakdown by Key Demographics
- Co-occurrence and Related Conditions
- The Most Serious Consequences
- The Positive Outlook and Solutions
- Conclusion
- Sources
Overall Prevalence and General Numbers
- Global Prevalence: An estimated 14 million people were living with an eating disorder in 2019, including nearly 3 million children and adolescents.
- U.S. Lifetime Prevalence: In the United States, it is estimated that 30 million (9%) Americans will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.
- U.S. Past-Year Prevalence: In any given year, 1.2% of U.S. adults have binge eating disorder and 0.3% have bulimia nervosa. anorexia nervosa has a lifetime prevalence of 0.6%.
Breakdown by Key Demographics
- By Gender: Eating disorders are significantly more common in females than males in the U.S.
- Binge Eating Disorder: 1.6% of females vs. 0.8% of males.
- Bulimia Nervosa: 0.5% of females vs. 0.1% of males.
- Anorexia Nervosa (Lifetime): 0.9% of females vs. 0.3% of males.
- By Age of Onset: The median age of onset typically falls within adolescence and early adulthood.
- Anorexia Nervosa & Bulimia Nervosa: 18 years old.
- Binge Eating Disorder: 21 years old.
Co-occurrence and Related Conditions
- High Comorbidity: Over half of individuals with a lifetime history of an eating disorder also have an anxiety disorder (62%). Many also have a mood disorder (54%) and either a substance use disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder (27%).
The Most Serious Consequences
- Economic Cost: In the U.S., the total financial cost of eating disorders is estimated at $64.7 billion annually. The majority of this cost (75.2%) comes from losses in productivity.
- Severe Impairment: A large percentage of individuals with eating disorders experience severe impairment in their daily lives, including 18.5% of those with binge eating disorder and 43.9% of those with bulimia nervosa.
- Mortality: As well as the 10,200 direct deaths each year in the U.S., anorexia nervosa in particular is associated with a high risk of premature death from medical complications or suicide.
The Positive Outlook and Solutions
- Effective Treatments: Evidence-based treatments, such as family-based therapy and cognitive-based therapy, are proven to be effective for many individuals.
- The Treatment Gap: Access to care is alarmingly low. In the U.S., only 50.0% - 63.2% of adults with a past-year eating disorder received treatment specifically for their condition.
- Barriers to Care: This gap is driven by numerous factors, including stigma, a lack of specialised providers, and the high cost of treatment, which prevents millions from getting the help they need.
Conclusion
The statistics demonstrate that eating disorders are common, deadly, and costly illnesses that are severely undertreated. The data highlights a clear and urgent need for better public awareness, improved screening, and increased access to specialised care to prevent tragic loss of life and reduce the immense societal and personal burden of these conditions.
Sources
- World Health Organisation (WHO). (2022, June 8). Mental disorders.
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). (n.d.). Eating Disorders Statistics.
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Report: Economic costs of eating disorders.
- National Eating Disorders Association. “Eating Disorder Statistics.”
- Hambleton, A., Pepin, G., Le, A., et al. “Psychiatric and medical comorbidities of eating disorders: findings from a rapid review of the literature.” Journal of Eating Disorders, vol. 10, art. 132, 2022.
- Deloitte Access Economics. (June 2020) “Social and economic cost of eating disorders in the United States of America.” STRIPED & Academy for Eating Disorders.
Important:
TherapyRoute does not provide medical advice. All content is for informational purposes and cannot replace consulting a healthcare professional. If you face an emergency, please contact a local emergency service. For immediate emotional support, consider contacting a local helpline.
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