More than 240 people had inpatient admissions in acute hospitals due to eating disorders last year.
The vast majority related to anorexia, with children the most-affected group.
The HSE says 189,000 Irish people will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
Research shows this is rising, particularly among adolescents.
The HSE says anorexia has the highest death rate of all mental health disorders.
Figures released to Newstalk under the Freedom of Information Act show 241 people had an inpatient admission in an acute hospital last year due to an eating disorder - with 88% being female.
189 of the admissions were down to anorexia, eight were due to bulimia and the remaining 44 were other eating disorders.
133 of the admissions related to children.
Harriet Parsons from Bodywhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland, says anorexia is a big problem among children.
She had: "Up until a couple of years ago, the average age of onset would have been around 15-24.
"That age has come down now, so the average age of onset for anorexia would be 13-18, and the same for bulimia.
"What that means more people are developing eating disorders, and they're becoming younger at the point where they develop the eating disorders."
The HSE says it aims to establish 16 community-based eating disorder teams across the country to deal with the problem.
