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The UK’s Eating Disorder Data Problem

Woman in a yellow vest speaks into a microphone, holding a phone, against a gray stone background. She appears cheerful and engaged.

Author: Hope Virgo

Founder of Dump the Scales CIC and Secretariat of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Eating Disorders.



Why are we still quoting 1.25 million? The UK’s eating disorder data problem.


For years, one figure has dominated the conversation around eating disorders in the UK: 1.25 million people affected. It’s been widely used in media, policy discussions, and public awareness campaigns. 


But here’s the problem: it’s no longer fit for purpose, and it worries me that it is still being used consistently. It is outdated and minimises a growing problem, but it is still being used, not because it was wrong at the time, but because our understanding of eating disorders and the scale of need, has moved on. The eating disorder data hasn’t kept up.


This is something that has concerned me for a while now, but in light of the launch of the next phase of the Dump The Scales campaign, it has made me even more concerned. 


On 17 April we launched a petition and a campaign video showing the harrowing reality of life with an eating disorder and a call on the Government to tackle the epidemic of eating disorders with a national standalone strategy.


We used the figure of over 4 million in our film and comms around this launch, but still in certain areas the 1.25 million figure is being pushed. 


The latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics show that the UK population reached 69,487,000 by mid-2025, yet despite this growth and despite rising demand for services, we are still relying on prevalence figures rooted in outdated assumptions.


Back in 2019, NHS England published its commissioning guidance for adult eating disorder services. Within that, a significant shift, highlighting an estimated 6% lifetime prevalence of eating disorders. At the time, this would have meant over 3 million people in England alone would have an eating disorder.


If we apply that same 6% estimate to today’s UK population, the picture changes dramatically and comes in at 4.17 million people across the UK.


That’s already more than three times higher than the widely quoted 1.25 million. The latest data suggests it’s even higher.


In 2025, NHS England published its first national audit of eating disorder services. Within that report is another critical update highlighting that prevalence may now be closer to 7.5%. If we apply that to the current UK population, it comes in at 5.2 million people experiencing an eating disorder in their lifetime.


That’s over 1 in 13 people and more than quadruple the figure still commonly cited in public discourse. 


Over the last few months I have had conversations with policy makers, clinicians, researchers, NHSE, charities and I keep being told ‘we will get a figure soon’ but yet the lack of urgency around this is clear.


It also leaves me questioning who has the authority to determine this figure when, due to issues with data collection and under-diagnosis, it is unlikely to ever be truly accurate.


This matters now because inconsistent data doesn’t just create confusion; it shapes decisions.


When policymakers, commissioners, and funders rely on outdated or conflicting figures, services are underfunded, demand is underestimated, people are left without support, and it makes charities, campaigners, policy makers look like no one knows what we are talking about.


But perhaps most dangerously, the scale of the crisis is minimised. It becomes a system built on inconsistent numbers.


Right now, what is clear is that we are working with conflicting estimates: a widely used figure of 1.25 million that is now outdated, a 6% prevalence estimate from 2019 that remains underused, and a 7.5% estimate emerging from 2025 data that many are still hesitant to adopt.


These are not small discrepancies; they represent millions of people. And yet, there is still no single, agreed, up-to-date figure guiding national policy.


If we are serious about addressing eating disorders in the UK, we need to start with the foundations:


1. A clear, agreed national prevalence figure. One that reflects current evidence and is updated regularly. 


2. Transparency in how estimates are calculated. So that figures are trusted, understood, and consistently applied.


3. Alignment across government, NHS, and public messaging. Because we cannot tackle a crisis we cannot accurately measure.


Whether the true figure is 4.17 million or 5.2 million, one thing is clear:


The UK is facing a far larger eating disorder crisis than we are currently acknowledging, and until we fix the data, we will continue to fall short on action.


Because behind every statistic is a person, and right now, too many of them are still invisible.



Are you ready to take action?


Dump the Scales launched a campaign calling for a National Eating Disorder Strategy with a film and petition.


Over 4 million people in the UK are living with an eating disorder, people with eating disorders have the highest rate of mortality out of all mental illnesses but yet too many are denied treatment. too many are reaching crisis. People are dying. This is preventable.


𝗪𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗺 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲. 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.


Watch the Dump The Scales video, Sign our petition and Donate to help our life saving work.




Donate to support our work here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/dumpthescales


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