New figures show Australia has some of the worst levels of male anorexia in the world.

Statistics presented by the eating disorder support group, Butterfly Foundation, found one in four children with anorexia in Australia are boys and almost a third of year-nine boys use dangerous methods to try and keep thin.

The figures have prompted calls for the Government to do more to tackle the problem of eating disorders and body image.

Butterfly Foundation chief executive Christine Morgan says aside from the statistics, the Foundation's own hotlines show an alarming increase in calls from males.

"There's an increasing number of calls that we've taken, whether it be telephone calls or emails from young men," she said.

"The young men we tend to get the calls from tend to be in their teens or early 20s.