Anorexia Nervosa Statistics

Anorexia nervosa is a psychological condition known in laymen's terms as an eating disorder. Sufferers may experience many different symptoms, but the one common denominator is self-imposed , driven by a massive drop in self-esteem and body image.

Anorexia nervosa affects approximately 1% of women worldwide, and is far more prevalent in developed countries. The condition also affects men, but because the majority of sufferers are female, not much is said about men with eating disorders. That doesn't mean that they don't exist — recent studies suggest that approximately 10% of anorexia suffers are men.

The average age of onset of anorexia nervosa is 17 years. Those over 40 years of age rarely develop anorexia. It is reported that 40% of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls 15-19 years old.

The National Eating Disorders Association indicates that an estimated 5-20% of those who have anorexia nervosa will not survive complications associated with it. This means that anorexia has one of the highest rates of all mental disorders.