Eating Disorders Statistics | 2024

Studies suggest that 7.8% of the global population has an eating disorder. (1)

In the United States, 9% of the population has an eating disorder. (2)

Hospitalizations for eating disorders doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic. (3)

In a sample from an American emergency room, 16% of adult patients screened positive for an eating disorder. (4)

Over 3.3 million lives worldwide are lost yearly because of eating disorders. (5)

The most common eating disorder is Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED) with a one-year prevalence of 1.18% for females and 0.27% for males. (2)

Anorexia accounts for 8% of cases, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) 5%, binge eating disorder 22%, bulimia 19%, and other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) 47%. (1)

The most common onset age is between 12-25. (6)

The largest increase in eating disorder symptoms in adolescence is between the ages of 12 and 15. (7)

2.7% of teens will experience an eating disorder in their lifetime. (8)

Studies suggest 2.1% - 7.7% of older females (aged 40+) have a clinical eating disorder. Eating disorders in older adults may be correlated with menopause in females and hormonal changes in men. (9)

Some studies suggest approximately 1 in 7 men and 1 in 5 women will have an eating disorder by age 40 – with 95% of cases developing by age 25. (10)

Men are less likely to seek help for their eating disorders compared to females due to stigma and cultural stereotypes about eating disorders. (11, 12)

Although eating disorders are more common in females, 1 in 3 people with eating disorders are male.13 The mortality rate for men with eating disorders is 6 to 8 times higher than that of females. (12)

Men are two times more likely to have a comorbid substance use disorder and are overall more likely to have other co-occurring mental health issues. (11)

Men are 3 times more likely than females to experience muscle dysmorphia, which is characterized as being preoccupied with worries that one’s own body is “too small” or “not muscular enough.” In some cases, this has been found to be a significant risk factor for eating disorders. (14)

Eating disorders equally affect people of all races and ethnicities. Minority and non-minority groups share overlapping risk factors for developing EDs such as body dissatisfaction and exposure to diet culture. Despite being equally affected, clear differences between groups arise when it comes to stigma, help-seeking, and access to care. (15)

BIPOC individuals are affected by eating disorders at similar rates overall as their white peers but they are about half as likely to be diagnosed. (15, 16)

Minority groups are more likely to be uninsured and are up to half as likely to receive the necessary treatment for their eating disorders when compared to their white counterparts. (17)

Research suggests up to 95% of BIPOC individuals with binge eating disorder never receive a formal diagnosis. (18)

Approximately 54% of LGBT adolescents have been diagnosed with a full eating disorder during their lifetime, with an additional 21% engaging in disordered eating behaviors at some point in time. (19)

LGBTQ young people (ages 18-29) are 2-5 times more likely to be diagnosed with an eating disorder than those found in the general U.S. population. (20)

Research has indicated that gay men were 14% more likely to suffer from clinical eating disorders or report disordered eating behaviors compared to heterosexual males, with little variance in the studies. (19)

70% of people with an eating disorder have comorbid physiological or psychological disabilities. (21)

Women diagnosed with type 1 diabetes are 2.4x more likely to develop an eating disorder compared to those without diabetes. This likelihood is heightened in girls aged 13-14. (22)

Eating disorders frequently co-occur with other psychiatric conditions — 55-97% of people with eating disorders also have other mental health challenges. Most commonly, these include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and trauma, substance use disorders, personality disorders, sexual dysfunction, non-suicidal self-injury, and suicide ideation. (23)

Individuals with autoimmune or inflammatory diseases have a 36-73% increased chance of developing an eating disorder. (24)

Between 20% and 30% of adults with eating disorders also have mild to severe autism spectrum disorder. (25)

The majority of individuals who receive an autism diagnosis after undergoing eating disorder treatment are between the ages of 23 and 24. (26)

Eating problems are five times more likely to be observed in children with autism when compared to neurotypical children. (27)

Eating disorders frequently run in families. If one parent had an eating disorder, an individual is 11 times more likely to develop anorexia nervosa, 9.6 times more likely to develop bulimia nervosa, and 2.2 times more likely to develop binge eating disorder. (24, 28, 29)

Evidence from 50 studies in 17 countries indicates that social media usage leads to body image concerns, eating disorders/disordered eating, and poor mental health via the mediating pathways of social comparison, thin/fit ideal internalization, and self-objectification. (30)

Elite athletes are 22.4% more likely to have eating disorders. Among non-elite athletes, individuals who engage in excessive exercise are 2.5 times more likely to have or develop an eating disorder. (24)

Exposure to diet culture and pro-ED information has been linked to a 20% decrease in calorie consumption and increase in eating disorder symptoms. (24)

Eating disorders are associated with the highest mortality rate of any psychiatric disorder. (2)

Every 52 minutes, at least one person dies as a direct result of an eating disorder. (2)

In contrast to other mental health disorders, eating disorders have frequent medical complications. Up to 14% of individuals with eating disorders have hypokalemia (low serum potassium), which can lead to sudden cardiac arrest. (31, 32)

26% of individuals who undergo treatment for anorexia nervosa will relapse. Relapse rates are lower in other eating disorders but are still present. (33)

Individuals with the binge/purge subtype of anorexia nervosa are twice as likely to relapse. (33)

Relapse after eating disorder treatment most commonly occurs within 4 and 9 months, but 31-41% of relapses will occur 2 years after being discharged. (33)

Relapse prevention programs can decrease the chances of relapsing by 70%. (33)

In treatment that focuses on weight restoration, 89.8% of patients achieve recovery. Weight restoration to above 85.8% of ideal body weight by the end of treatment has determined this best predictor of full recovery and maintenance after discharge. (34)

Longitudinal studies have found most people with anorexia ultimately recover. A study that followed patients for more than twenty years found that 62.8% of participants with anorexia nervosa had recovered at 22-year follow-up. (35)

Studies suggest approximately ⅔ of patients with anorexia reach partial recovery after 5 years. After ten years, almost 80% reached full recovery. (36)

70% of adolescents with anorexia will achieve full remission after 12 months. Remission rates increase to over 80% after 8 years of onset. (37)

84% of people with eating disorders are not medically underweight. (38)

Larger-bodied individuals account for 25–45% of patients admitted to inpatient eating disorder medical stabilization units. This number is 5 times larger than it was 8 years ago. (39)

Individuals who are higher-weight are half as likely to receive a diagnosis for their eating disorder, compared to individuals who are underweight or within their healthy weight range. (40)

77% of people with eating disorders reported having experienced stigma and unfair treatment because of their condition. Experiences of eating disorder-related stigma can be compounded by experiences of weight stigma. (41)

People of color — especially African Americans — are half as likely to receive help for disordered eating behaviors. (42)

Higher-weight individuals face stigma in eating disorder treatment. Nearly half report that providers recommended dieting and 40% report that their providers encouraged disordered eating behaviors to promote weight loss. (43, 44)

Despite the fact that individuals with higher body weights have a 2.45 times greater chance of engaging in disordered eating, they are half as likely to receive an eating disorder diagnosis. (40)

Only half of adults with eating disorders seek help for their symptoms or concerns. (45)

Differences in help-seeking are observed across the different eating disorders: 34.5% of adults with anorexia sought help, compared to 62.6% of those with bulimia and 49% with binge-eating disorder. (45)

Men and members of ethnic and racial minority groups were even less likely to seek help for their eating disorders. (45)

15% of women will suffer from an eating disorder by their 40s or 50s, but only 27% receive any treatment for it. (46, 47)

After participating in a session of participating in an Eat Breathe Thrive program, individuals reported immediate improvement in their sense of well-being, indicating increased state-positive embodiment – with most effects being sustained at 6-month follow-up. (48)

Individuals who participated in yoga-based programs for eating disorder recovery reported experiencing significantly less state anxiety and greater interoceptive body trust over time relative to matched controls. (49)

Implementing yoga-based interventions has been linked to increased independent positive action, self-initiated positive state experiences, and increased embodied well-being. Furthermore, individuals also experience increased self-compassion and self-acceptance, with decreased emphasis on disordered eating behaviors. (50)

Yoga has been shown to support eating disorder recovery. Studies show yoga can help reduce eating disorder psychopathology, with changes maintained at six-month follow-up. (51)

Yoga may have a protective effect in terms of preventing eating disorders, by decreasing ED risk factors and bolstering resilience. (52)

Mindfulness and meditation can improve perception of hunger and satiation signals substantially. (51)

Individuals who participate in yoga and meditation are more likely to sense hunger earlier than those who do not practice mindfulness-based interventions by an average of 18 minutes. (51)

Mindfulness interventions have been shown to reduce binge eating frequency and severity. These interventions target one’s ability to cope with psychological distress in adaptive ways, therefore, decreasing binge eating behaviors and patterns. (53)

Mindfulness-based interventions have been shown to reduce neural activity in brain areas associated with anxiety – the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex, putamen, caudate, orbital gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex, and precuneus. Neural activity decreases have been observed following a significant decrease in obsessive thoughts about self-image and related emotions. (54)

Mindfulness interventions as a concurrent part of routine therapy are more effective than when practiced on a single occasion. (55)

Yoga, as a mindfulness tool, promotes calmness and has been linked to changing eating behaviors. (56)