Eating disorder statistics reveal just how serious these illnesses are. Anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), and binge eating disorder (BED) all carry significant health risks; deaths from eating disorders are often linked to medical complications or suicide. A review of the latest eating disorder stats emphasizes the urgent need for early intervention, compassionate support, and access to expert care.

Raising Eating Disorder Awareness

Here’s a breakdown of some of the latest statistics around eating disorders, including statistics on anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder (BED), and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID):

General Eating Disorder Statistics

• 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.[1]
• 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder – that’s one death every 52 minutes.[1]
• Less than 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as “underweight.”[2]
• Approximately 9-24% of individuals in eating disorder treatment are also experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), likely leading to more severe eating disorder symptoms.[3]
• 13% of women over the age of 50 have eating disorder symptoms.[4]
• Approximately 3.6% of males on college campuses have an eating disorder.[5]
• The rate of children under 12 being admitted to a hospital for eating disorders rose 119% in less than a decade.[6]
• Approximately 6-8% of adolescents have an eating disorder.[7]

View more eating disorder statistics here.

Anorexia Nervosa Statistics

•  One in five anorexia nervosa deaths is by suicide.[8]
• In young people, the mortality rate of anorexia nervosa is 4-11%. The risk of death in young people with AN is 12 times higher than that for the general population of the same age. [9]
• The median age of onset of anorexia nervosa is 12.3 years, during adolescence.[10]
• One study found that nearly all adolescents with anorexia reported feeling socially impaired (88.9%).[10]
• 50-80% of the risk for anorexia nervosa is genetic.[11]

View more anorexia nervosa statistics here.

Bulimia Nervosa Statistics

• Around 1.5% of women will have bulimia nervosa in their lifetime.[12]
• Around 0.5% of men will have bulimia nervosa in their lifetime.[12]
• The standardized mortality ratio (SMR) for bulimia nervosa is 1.93. The SMR is a ratio between the observed number of deaths in a study population and the number of deaths that would be expected. [8]
• Around one in ten people who purge through self-induced vomiting with bulimia nervosa will experience painful cheek and face swelling.[13]
• 1 in 10 patients with bulimia nervosa have a comorbid substance use disorder, usually alcohol use.[14]
• Fewer than half of those with bulimia nervosa have ever sought treatment for their eating disorder.[12]

View more bulimia nervosa statistics here.

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) Statistics

• Approximately 3.5% of women will have binge eating disorder in their lifetime. [12]
• About 2% of men will have binge eating disorder in their lifetime.[12]
• Half the risk of developing binge eating disorder is genetic.[14]
• 2.8 percent of American adults will struggle with binge eating disorder in their lifetime.[12]
• Less than half of those with binge eating disorder have ever sought treatment for their eating disorder.[12]
• Following bariatric surgery, 25% of people experience loss of control eating and 5% of people experience binge eating disorders.[15]

View more binge eating disorder statistics here.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) Statistics

• ARFID is more common in children and young adolescents and less common in late adolescence and adulthood.[16]
• The true prevalence of ARFID is still being studied, but preliminary estimates suggest it may affect as many as 5 percent of children.[17]
• ARFID affects more males than females.[17]
• ARFID is often associated with psychiatric co-morbidity, especially with anxious and obsessive-compulsive features.[16]
• One study found that 5-14% of patients in a pediatric inpatient eating disorder treatment program had ARFID while up to 22.5% of patients in a pediatric eating disorder day treatment program had ARFID.[17]

View more ARFID statistics here.

Here for you when you need help

At Eating Recovery Center, we are actively breaking the stigma around eating disorders. Our goal is to offer:

• High-quality eating disorder treatment for those in need
• Support for families and caregivers who need recovery resources
• Education for professionals, equipping them to make the right decisions when referring their patients to a higher level of care

Learn more about eating disorders

Eating Recovery Center is a national leader in eating disorder treatment. To learn more about eating disorders and recovery, please fill out this form or call us at (866) 622-5914.

Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center is an international center for eating disorders and mood, anxiety and trauma-related disorders recovery providing comprehensive treatment for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders and PTSD. We offer the full spectrum of treatment services adults, adolescents and children of all genders, including Inpatient, Residential, Partial Hospitalization and Outpatient programs. Utilizing a full continuum of care, we provide expert behavioral health and medical treatment for eating disorders and mood, anxiety and trauma-related disorders in an environment of compassion, collaboration, integrity, inclusivity, accountability and flexibility.

Sources

1. The Strategic Training Initiative for the Prevention of Eating Disorders at the Harvard T.H.Chan School of Public Health and Boston Children’s Hospital.
2. Flament, M., Henderson, K., Buchholz, A., Nguyen, H., Birmingham, M., & Goldfield, G. (2015). Weight status and DSM-5 diagnoses of eating disorders in adolescents from the community. JAMA Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 54(5), 403-411.
3. Tagay, S., Schlottbohm, E., Reyes-Rodriguez, M.L., Repic, N., & Senf, W. (2014). Eating disorders, trauma, PTSD, and psychosocial resources. Eating Disorders, 22(1), 33-49. doi: 10.1080/10640266.2014.857517.
4. Gagne, D. A., Von Holle, A., Brownley, K. A., Runfola, C. D., Hofmeier, S., Branch, K. E., & Bulik, C. M. (2012). Eating disorder symptoms and weight and shape concerns in a large web‐based convenience sample of women ages 50 and above: Results of the gender and body image (GABI) study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 45(7), 832-844.
5. Grammer, A.C., Vázquez, M.M., Fitzsimmons-Craft, E.E., Fowler, L.A., Rackoff, G.N., Schvey, N.A., Lipson, S.K., Newman, M.G., Eisenberg, D., Taylor, C.B., Wilfley, D.E. (2021). Characterizing eating disorder diagnosis and related outcomes by sexual orientation and gender identity in a national sample of college students. Eating Behaviors, 42.
6. Eating Disorders Coalition, Facts About Eating Disorders: What the Research Shows.
7. Galmiche, M., Déchelotte, P., Lambert, G., & Tavolacci, M.P. (2019). Prevalence of eating disorders over the 2000-2018 period: A systematic literature review. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 109(5), 1402-1413. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqy342
8. Arcelus, J., Mitchell, A. J., Wales, J., & Nielsen, S. (2011). Mortality rates in patients with anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders: a meta-analysis of 36 studies. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 724-731.
9. Gravina, G., Milano, W., Nebbiai, G., Piccione, C., & Capasso, A. (2018). Medical complications in anorexia and bulimia nervosa. Endocrine Metabolic and Immune Disorders Drug Targets, 18(5), 477-488. doi: 10.2174/1871530318666180531094508
10. Swanson, S.A., Crow, S.J., Le Grange, D., Swendsen, J., & Merikangas, K.R. (2011). Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in adolescents. Results from the national comorbidity survey replication adolescent supplement. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 714-723. doi: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.22
11. Trace, S. E., Baker, J. H., Peñas-Lledó, E., & Bulik, C. M. (2013). The genetics of eating disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 9, 589-620.
12. Hudson, J. I., Hiripi, E., Pope, H. G., & Kessler, R. C. (2007). The prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication. Biological Psychiatry, 61(3), 348–358.
13. Mehler, P.S., & Andersen, A.E. (2022). Eating disorders: A comprehensive guide to medical care and complications (4th ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press.
14. Ulfvebrand, S., Birgegard, A., Norring, C., Hogdahl, L., & von Hausswolff-Juhlin, Y. (2015). Psychiatric comorbidity in women and men with eating disorders results from a large clinical database. Psychiatry Research, 230(2), 294-299.
15. Smith, K. E., Orcutt, M., Steffen, K. J., Crosby, R. D., Cao, L., Garcia, L., & Mitchell, J. E. (2019). Loss of control eating and binge eating in the 7 years following bariatric surgery. Obesity Surgery, 29(6), 1773-1780.
16. ARFID: Some new twists and some old themes. Ovidio Bermudez, MD, FAAP, FSAHM, FAED, F.iaedp, CEDS. (2016)
17. Norris, M. L., Spettigue, W., & Katzman, D. K. (2016). Update on eating disorders: current perspectives on avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder in children and youth. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 12, 213-218.