Eating disorders statistics

  • Eating disorders affect at least 9% of the population worldwide.

  • 9% of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.

  • Less that 6% of people with eating disorders are medically diagnosed as "underweight."

  • Eating disorders are among the deadliest mental illnesses, second only to opoid overdose.

  • 10,200 deaths each year are the direct result of an eating disorder-that's one death every 52 minutes.

  • About 26% of people with eating disorders attempt suicide.

  • BIPOC are significantly less likely than white people to have been asked by a doctor about eating disorder symptoms.

  • BIPOC with eating disorders are half as likely to be diagnosed or to receive treatment.

  • Gay men are seven times more likely to report binge eating and twelve times more likely to report purging than heterosexual men.

  • Rates of body dissatisfaction were higher among transgender and nonbinary youth (90%) compared to cisgender youth (80%).

  • ADHD is the most commonly missed diagnosed relation to disordered eating.

  • Larger body size is both a risk factor for developing an eating disorder and common outcomes for people who struggle with bulimia and binge eating disorder.

  • Athletes report higher rates of excessive exercise than non-athletes.

  • Athletes are more likely to screen positive for an eating disorder than non-athletes, but percentage across all probably eating disorder diagnoses are similar.

  • Body dysmorphic disorder affects 1-3% of the overall population, but 13% of male military members and 21.7% of female military members.

  • 35-57% of adolescent girls engage in crash dieting, fasting, self-induced vomiting, diet pills, or laxatives.

  • In a college campus survery, 91% of the women admitted to controlling their weight through dieting.

  • The most common type of eating disorders among military members is bulimia nervosa.

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