Sharp rise in girls hospitalized in Germany for eating disorders

The number of girls aged 10 to 17 hospitalized in Germany for eating disorders more than doubled over the 20 years up to 2024, the Federal Statistical Office reported on Tuesday.

The number rose from around 2,800 in 2004 to approximately 6,000 in 2024, it said.

The sharp rise meant that the proportion of girls in this age group treated for an eating disorder in 2024 was almost half of all patients treated at 48.1%, whereas 20 years earlier, it had been 24.9%.

The number of people overall treated for eating disorders increased by 2.2% between 2023 and 2024 to 12,400 cases. The office said the most common diagnoses in 2024 were for anorexia, with 9,000 cases requiring treatment, and binge-purge disorder, or bulimia, with 1,300 cases.

"Across all age groups, girls and women are more frequently treated as inpatients for eating disorders than boys and men," it said.

Two years ago, 92.9% of people treated with this diagnosis were female. In 2004, the proportion of female patients was 88.5%.