Eating disorders now affect one in 20 people in the UK as cases soar among young people

Beat estimates that 3.5 million people in the UK live with an eating disorder, while official figures show a sharp rise among children and young adults.

Eating disorders are affecting far more people in Britain than many realise, and campaigners say the scale of the problem has shifted sharply in recent years. Beat, the eating disorder charity, estimates that about 3.5 million people in the UK now live with an eating disorder, roughly one in 20 of the population, up from its earlier estimate of 1.25 million. Metro’s reporting on Kate Cronin, who says her calorie tracking gradually developed into severe restriction and body dysmorphia, reflects how quickly these illnesses can take hold when appearance, control and comparison begin to shape daily life.

That rise is visible in official data, particularly among younger people. NHS England figures published in 2023 showed that 12.5% of 17 to 19-year-olds had an eating disorder, compared with less than 1% in 2017. The same report found prevalence among 11 to 16-year-olds at 2.6% and among 20 to 25-year-olds at 5.9%, underlining that the problem is not confined to one age group or one stage of life.

Experts say social media is part of the picture, but not the whole explanation. Constant exposure to fitness content, calorie counting and body-checking can intensify insecurity, especially among adolescents already vulnerable to low self-esteem. Beat and NHS-linked research have both pointed to a marked rise in concern around body image and eating problems, yet specialists stress that eating disorders are complex mental illnesses shaped by a mixture of psychological, social and environmental factors.

That complexity came through in the experiences of the women Metro interviewed. Cronin said her habits began with what seemed like harmless self-improvement before becoming increasingly restrictive. Hannah, 37, described a different route into illness, saying a difficult childhood and the pressure to excel academically left her using food as a rare area of control. In both cases, what started as discipline turned into something more harmful and harder to reverse.

The pandemic appears to have made matters worse for many people already at risk. Beat’s Nicola Armstrong said eating disorders are isolating by nature, and lockdown conditions made secrecy easier and support harder to access. Remote healthcare appointments, social withdrawal and the strain of disrupted routines may all have contributed to missed warning signs. Armstrong also noted that food shortages, panic buying and the pressures on the NHS created extra difficulties for people vulnerable to binge eating or restrictive behaviour.

Recovery is possible, but it is often slow and uneven. Hannah said the turning point came when she recognised that the life she was living was becoming smaller and less fulfilling, particularly as friends moved into marriage and parenthood. Cronin said therapy helped her challenge her fears around food and gradually reintroduce meals she had once avoided. Both described recovery not as a single breakthrough, but as a process of relearning normality and resisting old thought patterns.

The latest debate over weight-loss drugs has added another layer of concern. GLP-1 medicines, including Wegovy, have become more visible in Britain, and some campaigners worry that easy access could worsen unhealthy attitudes towards weight and eating. Beat has called for tighter psychological screening before such drugs are prescribed, arguing that people at risk of eating disorders should not be able to obtain them without proper assessment.

Health professionals say the warning signs are not always about appearance. Weight loss can be a clue, but irritability, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, anxiety around eating and an obsession with exercise may appear first. Beat advises anyone worried about themselves or someone else to speak to a GP and to raise concerns in a calm setting away from food. As Cronin and Hannah both make clear, early intervention matters: the sooner help begins, the better the chance of a full and lasting recovery.