Eating disorders negatively impact a person’s body weight or shape and are collectively among the deadliest mental illnesses. The most common types of eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Anorexia is characterized by an extreme fear of gaining weight that results in food restriction or excessive exercise. Bulimia, on the other hand, is defined by periods of overeating, followed by compensatory behaviors such as forced vomiting or exercising too much. Similarly, binge eating disorder involves regularly overeating and feeling unable to stop. In contrast to bulimia, binge eating disorder does not involve compensatory behaviors but rather a sense of guilt, shame, and disgust at having lost control.
Eating disorders are a global issue
In 2019, the
percentage of the population worldwide that suffered from eating disorders was estimated to be around 0.18 percent. Although eating disorders can develop at any age, they most often manifest in teens and young adults. Furthermore, although both males and females can develop eating disorders, they are much more common among females. Estimates comparing the
share of the population worldwide with an eating disorder by gender show that females are around twice as likely to have an eating disorder than males.
How common are eating disorders in the United States?
It was estimated in 2018-2019 that the
most prevalent eating disorder in the United States was binge eating disorder. During that time, around two million people in the United States were believed to be suffering from binge eating disorder, while 622,000 had bulimia nervosa and 408,000 anorexia nervosa.
Eating disorders in the United States are most prevalent among females aged 20 to 29 years, with around 5.79 percent of this population estimated to be suffering from some type of eating disorder. Depending on the severity, eating disorders can lead to various mental and physical problems, including cardiovascular complications, kidney failure, depression, and suicide. When grouped together, eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, with suicide accounting for a large share of such deaths. In 2018-2019, the
total number of deaths in the United States due to eating disorders was estimated to be around 10,200.
The economic cost of eating disorders in the United States
In addition to having the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses, eating disorders also have a significant economic impact. It was estimated in 2018-2019 that
total costs associated with eating disorders in the U.S. were around 64.7 billion U.S. dollars, with productivity losses accounting for the vast majority of such costs. The
health system costs of eating disorders in the U.S. mostly result from primary and outpatient care, with binge eating disorder accounting for the highest costs to the health system. In 2018-2019,
health system costs associated with binge eating disorder alone were calculated to be around 1.2 billion U.S. dollars. The National Institutes of Health estimate that
research funding for eating disorders in the United States will be approximately 61 million U.S. dollars in 2024.
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