Jennifer Mendoza
Research expert covering health, pharma and medtech
Eating disorders in the United Kingdom - Statistics & Facts
Eating disorders are among the deadliest mental illnesses and can affect people of all ages, sex, ethnicities, and backgrounds, although they are more common among teens and females. Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are among the most common eating disorders. Both bulimia and binge eating involve overeating and feeling unable to stop, however, in the case of bulimia compensatory mechanisms, such as fasting, forced vomiting, or exercising too much, are put in place. Anorexia is characterized by an extreme fear of gaining weight that results in food restriction and/or excessive exercise. In 2019, the percentage of the worldwide population suffering from eating disorders was estimated at around 0.18 percent, an increase from 0.16 percent in 1990.
Eating disorders
Teens and young adults are the most affected by eating disorders and during the last 50 years, there has been an increase in their incidence. Social media use has been deemed a relevant causal factor, often raising concerns regarding body image and increasing body dissatisfaction. As of 2023, roughly 12.5 percent of teenagers in England aged between 17 and 19 years had an eating disorder. Among them, 3.3 percent were diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, and 1.7 percent with bulimia. Girls are by far the most impacted. Across all ages in England, the most common eating disorder, which was the primary diagnosis following hospital admission, was anorexia nervosa with over 5,000 cases among females and 294 cases among males, between 2021 and 2022.Obesity in the UK
Among European countries, the United Kingdom is often in the spotlight for having a population with a particularly high prevalence of overweight and obese people. Projections provided by the World Obesity Federation on the prevalence of obesity in Europe, revealed that the UK is forecast to be the country with the highest prevalence of obese women by 2025, with 35.6 percent, and the third when considering men, with 35.3 percent. As of 2021, the average BMI of both men and women in the UK was above the threshold of 25, with 27.5 and 27.2, respectively. Specifically, 25 percent of men and 26 percent of women in England were considered obese as of 2021.
