Global statistics on hearing loss
- Hearing loss affects more than 360 million people worldwide, that’s over 5% of world’s population*
- By 2025 there will be 900 million people in the world living with hearing loss
- Every 10th person in the United States has a hearing loss – that’s over 31,000,000 people
- There are more than 200,000 new cases of hearing loss per year in US alone
- Twenty nine percent of people over age 65 have a hearing loss
- One in six people between the ages of 41-59 has some degree of hearing loss
- Every 6th baby boomer (ages 41-59) has hearing loss
- Sixty five percent of people with hearing loss are below the retirement age
- 1.1 billion young people (ages 12-35 years) are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to noise in recreational settings
Download hearing loss infographic
Surprising facts about hearing loss
- We hear with our brain, not with our ears. When we have a hearing loss, the connections in the brain that respond to sound get disorganized
- Hearing loss can occur at any time in life
- Noise-induced hearing loss is the most prevalent type of hearing loss, followed by age-related hearing loss
- 4 out of 5 people who experience ringing in the ears, known as tinnitus, will likely have some degree of hearing loss
- Hearing loss can frequently co-exist with other health conditions, such as dementia, diabetes, heart and cardiovascular diseases
- Unaddressed hearing loss can lead to social isolation, anxiety and even depression, as well as poorer overall health
- Eight out of 10 hearing aid users say they’re satisfied with the changes that have occurred in their lives specifically due to their hearing aids.**
* World Health Organization
**Better Hearing Institute
