Cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa rose by 71% worldwide between 1990 and 2023, reaching 18.1 million. The upward trend is expected to continue, according to a study published last Wednesday in the scientific journal JAMA Psychiatry.
The research was conducted as part of the Global Burden of Disease initiative, the world’s largest scientific effort to measure health loss and the effects of disease. Researchers examined the prevalence and mortality of the two disorders in 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023 and made projections through 2050.
The analysis was carried out by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in China. In 2023, more than 18 million people had been diagnosed with one of the two eating disorders, which mainly affect women and girls aged 10 to 24.
Bulimia nervosa accounted for the most cases, with 14.2 million in 2023, and recorded the largest increase, at 75.1%. Cases of anorexia nervosa reached 3.92 million, up 57.9%.
Women accounted for the largest share of the burden, with 12.6 million cases, or 70% of the total, compared with 5.5 million among men, or 30%.
Highest rates in high-income regions
Four in ten cases (41.2%) involved people aged 10 to 24. Overall, the highest prevalence was recorded among those aged 20-24, while anorexia nervosa peaked among people aged 15-19 and bulimia among those aged 30-34.
High-income regions continue to record the highest rates. Australasia, which includes Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, ranked first with 946.4 cases per 100,000 people. Western Europe followed with 502.4 cases per 100,000.
A total of 1.9 million cases were recorded in these regions in 2023, an increase of 20% compared with 1990.
The largest increases in the disorders were observed in Asian regions undergoing rapid socioeconomic transformation: cases rose by 61.5% in East Asia, 48.5% in South Asia and 44.2% in Southeast Asia.
At country level, the prevalence of anorexia and bulimia increased in 156 of the 204 areas examined. Equatorial Guinea recorded the largest increase, at 92.6%, while 11 countries saw a decline. The largest decrease was recorded in Venezuela, at 27.2%.
Scientists say the findings underline the urgent need to integrate care and prevention for eating disorders into public health systems worldwide.
Source: CNA
