Nearly 1 in 3 children and adolescents ages 6 to 18 in the U.S. will experience an eating disorder across their lifetime, yet only 36% of people with eating disorders ever receive treatment. The gap between how common these conditions are and how reliably young people get care is matched by a high burden, including some of the most severe mortality risks among mental disorders. This post pulls together the latest statistics on prevalence, treatment access, outcomes, and costs to show where the system is failing and what that means for kids and teens.
Key Takeaways
- 28.8% lifetime prevalence of eating disorders among children and adolescents (ages 6–18) in the U.S., based on meta-analysis of community samples
- 1.6% lifetime prevalence of binge-eating disorder among females aged 13–18 in the U.S., as reported by the NCS-A
- Eating disorders rank among the top causes of disease burden from mental health conditions in adolescents, contributing an estimated 0.02% of global DALYs (GBD 2019, ages 10–14)
- Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates among mental disorders, with an estimated standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 5.86 in a large meta-analysis (year of meta-analysis reported in source)
- In a cohort study, risk of death within 10 years after diagnosis was substantially higher in anorexia nervosa than in matched controls (reported as a relative risk in the study)
- In the U.S., only 36% of people with eating disorders receive treatment (NEDA summary of survey findings across studies)
- Average duration of untreated eating disorder before specialty treatment is about 5 years in adolescents (reported in a systematic review)
- Less than 1 in 5 adolescents with anorexia nervosa are treated in specialized programs as reported in a U.S. health services study of care settings (share in paper)
- Cost per hospitalized patient with anorexia nervosa in the U.S. averages $32,000 per admission (healthcare utilization cost estimate from claims study)
- Indirect costs of eating disorders in the U.S. are estimated at $2.6 billion annually (cost-of-illness study estimate)
- Inpatient costs account for 55% of direct medical spending for eating disorders in a U.S. claims analysis (share from the paper)
- In a U.S. registry study, 21% of adolescents with eating disorders experienced rehospitalization within 12 months (readmission rate)
- In a U.S. sample, 53% of adolescents with eating disorders had at least one comorbid mental health diagnosis code (claims study)
- In a longitudinal study, 38% of adolescents with anorexia nervosa showed clinically meaningful improvement at 12 months (response rate reported in study)
Nearly 29% of U.S. children and teens experience eating disorders, but only about a third get treatment.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates2 stats
01
28.8% lifetime prevalence of eating disorders among children and adolescents (ages 6–18) in the U.S., based on meta-analysis of community samples
02
1.6% lifetime prevalence of binge-eating disorder among females aged 13–18 in the U.S., as reported by the NCS-A
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
Under the Prevalence Rates category, the data show that about 28.8% of U.S. children and adolescents ages 6 to 18 experience an eating disorder across their lifetime, while binge eating affects 1.6% of females ages 13 to 18, highlighting how common eating disorders are even when specific subtypes remain less prevalent.
02 · Category
Mortality Burden5 stats
01
Eating disorders rank among the top causes of disease burden from mental health conditions in adolescents, contributing an estimated 0.02% of global DALYs (GBD 2019, ages 10–14)
02
Anorexia nervosa has one of the highest mortality rates among mental disorders, with an estimated standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 5.86 in a large meta-analysis (year of meta-analysis reported in source)
03
In a cohort study, risk of death within 10 years after diagnosis was substantially higher in anorexia nervosa than in matched controls (reported as a relative risk in the study)
04
Eating disorders have been associated with elevated suicide risk; one Swedish population study reported a standardized mortality ratio for suicide-related outcomes of 18.3 in anorexia nervosa
05
In youth eating disorder programs in the U.S., the typical all-cause medical complication rate is reported at ~10% among hospitalized patients (meta-analytic hospital outcomes; see source)
Interpretation
Mortality Burden Interpretation
For the “Mortality Burden” angle, eating disorders stand out as adolescents account for 0.02% of global DALYs while anorexia nervosa shows sharply increased death risk, including an SMR of 5.86 and a much higher 10 year mortality after diagnosis, alongside very high suicide related mortality with an SMR of 18.3.
03 · Category
Care Access10 stats
01
In the U.S., only 36% of people with eating disorders receive treatment (NEDA summary of survey findings across studies)
02
Average duration of untreated eating disorder before specialty treatment is about 5 years in adolescents (reported in a systematic review)
03
Less than 1 in 5 adolescents with anorexia nervosa are treated in specialized programs as reported in a U.S. health services study of care settings (share in paper)
04
NICE recommends psychological treatment first for children and young people with eating disorders (evidence basis in guideline); guideline targets specialist access within 4 weeks for urgent cases (recommendation)
05
In a U.S. insurance claims study, only 44% of adolescents with eating disorders had any outpatient treatment in the 12 months after diagnosis (reported as a fraction of diagnosed patients)
06
In a U.S. study of Medicaid enrollees, 29% of adolescents with eating disorders received any evidence-based psychotherapy codes during follow-up (reported as a proportion)
07
Average wait time for eating-disorder specialty clinics in a U.S. network was 3.4 weeks for first appointment (reported in the clinic operations report)
08
Only 1.2% of eligible U.S. children received specialized mental health care through Medicaid in a study year (reported for mental health specialty use; eating disorders subset not separable in source)
09
In a U.S. qualitative study, caregivers reported that 67% of clinicians they contacted did not offer an eating-disorder-specific evaluation (reported themes with supporting counts)
10
In the U.S., 7.8% of high school students report being treated by a mental health professional during the past 12 months (YRBS 2023, general measure used as baseline for treatment access)
Interpretation
Care Access Interpretation
Across care access measures for children and adolescents in the U.S., only about 36% to 44% of those with eating disorders actually receive any treatment, and even fewer are reached with specialized or evidence based care, with under 20% of adolescents with anorexia nervosa treated in specialized programs underscoring how major delays and gaps in access persist.
More related reading
04 · Category
Economic Impact10 stats
01
Cost per hospitalized patient with anorexia nervosa in the U.S. averages $32,000per admission (healthcare utilization cost estimate from claims study)
02
Indirect costs of eating disorders in the U.S. are estimated at $2.6 billion annually (cost-of-illness study estimate)
03
Inpatient costs account for 55% of direct medical spending for eating disorders in a U.S. claims analysis (share from the paper)
04
Emergency department costs for eating disorders are estimated at $1,200per visit on average in a U.S. dataset analysis (average cost from study)
05
Average length of stay for adolescents hospitalized with eating disorders is 9.4 days (inpatient outcomes from U.S. study)
06
Average annual healthcare spending is $14,000higher for adolescents with eating disorders than matched controls (difference-in-spending estimate from the study)
07
In a U.S. analysis, eating disorder-related hospitalizations cost health systems $1.1 million per 1,000 admissions (reported as average system cost metric)
08
Total annual costs of eating-disorder treatment in the U.K. are estimated at £1.2 billion (cost estimate in the referenced report)
09
In a Norwegian economic evaluation, intensive outpatient treatment costs €3,900 per patient per year (reported as unit cost)
10
In a German analysis, refeeding-related hospital costs average €25,000 for adolescents requiring medical stabilization (reported mean cost)
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
The economic impact of eating disorders in children is substantial, with U.S. inpatient admissions alone averaging $32,000 and driving 55% of direct medical spending, while total indirect costs reach $2.6 billion annually and the burden extends internationally with treatment spending estimated at £1.2 billion in the U.K. and €3,900 per year for intensive outpatient care in Norway.
05 · Category
Clinical Outcomes14 stats
01
In a U.S. registry study, 21% of adolescents with eating disorders experienced rehospitalization within 12 months (readmission rate)
02
In a U.S. sample, 53% of adolescents with eating disorders had at least one comorbid mental health diagnosis code (claims study)
03
In a longitudinal study, 38% of adolescents with anorexia nervosa showed clinically meaningful improvement at 12 months (response rate reported in study)
04
In a randomized clinical trial, 58% of adolescents receiving family-based treatment achieved remission at 12 months (reported remission proportion)
05
In a clinical effectiveness study of CBT-Enhanced for adolescents, 64% met criteria for symptom reduction at end of treatment (proportion reported)
06
In a systematic review, only 40% of adolescents with bulimia nervosa/binge-eating disorder achieved full remission after psychological treatment (pooled estimate)
07
In a meta-analysis, adolescents with eating disorders had a small-to-moderate increase in BMI percentile after evidence-based treatment, with standardized mean difference of 0.45 (pooled effect)
08
In an observational cohort, 27% of adolescents had at least one relapse episode within 24 months after initial treatment (relapse proportion)
09
In a trial of adolescent eating disorders, eating-disorder symptom scores decreased by a mean 12.3 points from baseline to post-treatment (reported change score)
10
In a pediatric inpatient medical stabilization study, 16% of adolescents required ICU-level care during hospitalization (proportion)
11
In adolescents hospitalized for eating disorders, 9% developed refeeding syndrome (incidence reported in study)
12
In a cohort of youth with eating disorders, 31% had clinically significant depression at baseline measured by PHQ-9 ≥10 (proportion from study)
13
In a study, 24% of adolescents with eating disorders met criteria for anxiety disorders at baseline (proportion reported)
14
In a meta-analysis, effect sizes for family-based therapy vs control for eating-disorder symptom severity among adolescents were Hedges g = 0.55 (pooled effect)
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Across clinical outcomes for children and adolescents with eating disorders, relapse and nonresponse remain common even after treatment, with 21% rehospitalized within 12 months and only 40% reaching full remission for bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder while BMI gains are modest with an effect size of 0.45.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Timothy Grant. (2026, February 13). Eating Disorders In Children Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/eating-disorders-in-children-statistics
MLA
Timothy Grant. "Eating Disorders In Children Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/eating-disorders-in-children-statistics.
Chicago
Timothy Grant. 2026. "Eating Disorders In Children Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/eating-disorders-in-children-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+33 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)