How common are eating disorders?

Although it has become synonymous with eating disorders, anorexia is relatively rare, affecting between 0.5% and 1% of women in their lifetimes, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Another 2% to 3% develop bulimia and 3.5% develop binge eating disorder.

The incidence rate of eating disorders is consistently going up in the United States. Roughly 20 to 30 million Americans have eating disorders, including all ages and genders. The prevalence among teens is hard to estimate, as most teens will not divulge that they have a problem, but it is known that teens are at high risk for having either bulimia or anorexia. The estimated lifetime prevalence of anorexia is 0.3% for teens, while the prevalence for bulimia is 0.9%. So roughly 1.2% of teens will have an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are serious illnesses affecting 8 million Americans at any given time. While anyone can suffer from an eating disorder, they are most common in teen and young adult women. All forms of eating disorders can be fatal. One in 10 people with an eating disorder will die as a direct result of the illness.

The National Eating Disorders Association estimates that nearly 10 million American women and 1 million men currently are affected by serious eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating. While anyone can suffer from an eating disorder, they are most common in teen and young adult women.