Millions more people in Britain are struggling with eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia than previously thought, a new analysis has revealed.
The number of sufferers is thought to be around 3.5 million – three times more than the 2017 estimate of 1.25 million, according to the study by eating disorder charity Beat.
This is said to equate to around one in 15 Britons aged 11 and over.
Beat say the dramatic difference can be explained by several factors including changes to diagnostic criteria and how data is collected, as well as a genuine rise in prevalence.
The figure is based on national mental health surveys of children and adults in England. As no UK-wide prevalence studies are available, the study authors have applied their findings to the population of Britain.
Campaigners are now urging the new Prime Minister to implement urgent reforms to treatment services for those with the deadliest of all mental illnesses.
The number of children hospitalised for eating disorders has rocketed by 500 per cent in a decade, according to NHS data – a rise which researchers have blamed on a lack of community care, leaving patients to become critically ill.
‘We’re calling on Governments to take action to increase support across the UK,’ the charity said in a statement posted to social media.
It’s estimated that around 3.5 million people in the UK suffer with an eating disorder – a figure that’s three times more than previously thought
‘They must make sure that every person affected can get the help they need.’
Data collected last year by the National Audit of Eating Disorders revealed that the average adult in England waits 28 days for assessment and 42 days for treatment.
The figures also showed that some are waiting a shocking two years for specialist help.
Children, meanwhile, wait an average of two weeks, however in some areas patients are waiting over a year.
Research shows that the chance of a full recovery is far higher if treatment is started within a few months of diagnosis.
Anorexia is the deadliest of all mental illnesses, with around one in 20 patients dying within five years of diagnosis.
The condition requires intensive and long-term care to prevent relapse, yet many patients are discharged from care once they reach a stable weight.
Actor Lily Collins played a woman struggling with anorexia in the Netflix film To The Bone, and in a post on Instagram, shared her own eating disorder recovery is still ‘ongoing’
This can lead to a sustained and chronic illness leading to a variety of physical complications. One in five patients will die within 20 years of diagnosis, studies show.
According to the 2025 hospitalisation figures, girls aged 11 to 15 have seen the most significant leap in the need for treatment.
Overall, under-18 admissions to general acute medical wards for eating disorders jumped from 478 to 2,938 between 2012 and 2022 – a rise of almost 515 per cent.
These wards are separate to specialised mental health wards and provide rapid assessment, treatment, and care for patients who are usually referred via A&E, their GP or an outpatient clinic.
The same analysis found admissions to specialist mental health wards increased from 24,198 to 39,925 – a rise of 65 per cent compared to a 10 per cent increase in all cause admissions, which rose from 311,067 to 342,511.
Dr Karen Street, of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said at the time that the data ‘further evidences the alarming deterioration in the mental health and wellbeing of our children and young people.’
Almost one in five children aged 7-17 have a probable mental disorder and there has been a stark rise in the complexity and intensity of mental health disorders reported, she added.
‘More must be done to find out and understand the core drivers for this unparalleled increase to truly design a service which works for our young people.’
Many experts have put the rise in eating problems down to increased time spent on social media, as well as excess educational pressure.
For free eating disorder support contact Beat on 0808 801 0677. Phone lines are open 3pm-8.30pm, Monday to Friday.
