Deaths due to eating disorders, 2013 to 2025

FOI reference: FOI-2026-3813

You asked

I have noticed that there are barely any published figures for deaths due to eating disorders in the UK, and the figures I could find date back to quite a few years ago. I'm looking to request this information and am curious as to what the time frame would be for this kind of request. 

I would like to add, if there is any information on deaths from Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)?

We said

Thank you for your request. 

We are responsible for the production of mortality statistics for England and Wales. National Records Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) are responsible for statistics pertaining to Scotland and Northern Ireland. They can be contacted at foi@nrscotland.gov.uk  and  info@nisra.gov.uk respectively. 

Our mortality data comes from the information collected at death registration. All of the conditions mentioned on the death certificate are coded using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). From all of these causes an underlying cause of death is selected using ICD-10 coding rules.   

The underlying cause of death is defined by WHO as:  

a) the disease or injury that initiated the train of events directly leading to death, or  
b) the circumstances of the accident or violence that produced the fatal injury  

The ICD-10 cause codes for eating disorders are: 

• F50.0 Anorexia nervosa 
• F50.1 Atypical anorexia nervosa  
• F50.2 Bulimia nervosa  
• F50.3 Atypical bulimia nervosa  
• F50.4 Overeating associated with other psychological disturbances  
• F50.5 Vomiting associated with other psychological disturbances  
• F50.8 Other eating disorders  
• F50.9 Eating disorder, unspecified   

Unfortunately, there is no specific ICD 10 code relating to Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) in the mortality coding classification. Therefore, we do not hold this information. 

Figures for deaths due eating disorders are available to extract from our NOMIS webservice. We have provided these figures downloaded from this service in the associated download. Figures are for deaths registered in England and Wales in each year, 2013 to 2025 (the latest available data). 

For further information please contact health.data@ons.gov.uk