OBJECTIVES: To perform a systematic review of humanistic and economic burden of bulimia nervosa (BN) and binge eating disorder (BED). METHODS: A systematic literature search of English-language articles was conducted in June 2013 using Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES, Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Plus, Business Source Premier and Cochran Library. Cost data were inflated and converted to 2012 US$ purchasing power parities. RESULTS: Forty-seven studies were included; 31 evaluated BN, 23 BED. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was reported in 29 (17 for BED), healthcare utilizations and/or healthcare costs in 21 studies (5 for BED). Diagnoses were made using DSM-IV in 27 studies. Patient characteristics differed between BN and BED: for BN and BED respectively mean age of patients varied between 17 to 32 years and 33 to 45 years, percentage of female 95% to 100% and 73% to 100%, mean body mass index 20 to 24 kg/mand 25 to 54 kg/mCONCLUSIONS: BN and BED markedly impair HRQoL. Both BN and BED are predictors of increased healthcare utilization, direct and indirect healthcare costs. The limited literature warrants further research to better understand the humanistic and economic burden of BED.