Anorexia nervosa deaths 2019 to 2026

FOI reference: FOI-2026-3435

You asked

Please give the total number of deaths of people with a code of anorexia nervosa, including atypical anorexia nervosa, for each of the following financial years:

• 2019/20
• 2020/21
• 2021/22
• 2022/23
• 2023/24
• 2024/25
• 2025/26 YTD

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@nrsscotland.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 anorexia nervosa including atypical anorexia nervosa are F50.0 and F50.1. 

Please see the associated download named 'Deaths_due_to_Anorexia_Financial_Years_2019_to_2026', which provides the number of deaths occurring in each financial year 2019 to 2026 where anorexia nervosa, including atypical anorexia nervosa, was the underlying cause of death (due to) and where anorexia nervosa including atypical anorexia nervosa was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate (involving). Please note that the number of deaths involving anorexia nervosa including atypical anorexia nervosa includes deaths where the condition was coded as the underlying cause. Figures for death occurring in 2025 and 2026 are provisional. 

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