Eating disorders could surge worldwide affecting millions by 2050

That was about 71% more than in 1990, and the total could rise to 21.8 million by 2050 if the trends used in the model continue, as per the research published in JAMA Psychiatry.Anorexia can involve severely restricting food and intense fear about gaining weight while Bulimia involves repeated episodes of binge eating followed by behaviors intended to prevent weight gain.Both conditions can seriously affect physical and mental health.The analysis….

The team combined information from sources such as surveys, published research, and death records to estimate the effects of the disorders over time.Bulimia accounted for most cases in 2023, with an estimated 14.2 million people affected.While an estimated 3.9 million were living with anorexia.Together the disorders accounted for about 3.8 million years of healthy life lost, a measure that includes time lived with illness and years lost to early death.Additionally,….

Anorexia was most common among teenagers ages 15 to 19, while bulimia was more prevalent among adults in their 30s and older.

Women accounted for roughly seven in ten people affected across the two disorders.The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, also found that rates differed widely by region.

Australasia and Western Europe had some of the highest estimated rates, while East Asia and South Asia recorded some of the steepest increases in prevalence since 1990.Those differences are important for planning, but they are also shaped by the information available to researchers.

Some countries have fewer surveys or specialist services, and people whose symptoms go unnoticed can be harder to capture in the data.The 2050 number is a projection, so it depends on assumptions about future trends and population change.

It covers anorexia and bulimia specifically, which means it describes only part of the need for eating disorder care.

Eating disorders could surge worldwide affecting millions by 2050 November 6, 2026.