WHO global estimates on
prevalence of hearing loss
Prevention of Deafness
WHO, 2018
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Summary
WHO estimates that there are
 466 million persons in the world live with disabling hearing loss* -> 6.1% of the world's
population
 432 million (93%) of these are adults -> 242 million males, 190 million females
 34 million (7%) of these are children
 One-third of persons 65+ are affected by disabling hearing loss
 The number of people with disabling hearing loss will grow over the years -> up to 630 million
by 2030 and over 900 million in 2050**
*Disabling hearing loss refers to hearing loss greater than 40 dB in the better hearing ear in adults (15 years or older) and
greater than 30 dB in the better hearing ear in children (0 to 14 years).
**Projections calculated based on the WHO 2008 prevalence estimates
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of hearing loss: WHO global
estimates
Males: 242m.
56%
*Children: 34m
7%
*Adults: 432 m. 93%
Females: 190m.
44%
In 2018, there are an estimated 466 million people with disabling hearing loss
worldwide. 93% of them are adults and 7% children. Among the adults, there are more
males (56%) than females (44%) with disabling hearing loss.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Disabling hearing loss is unequally
distributed across the world
High-income
9,9%
East Asia
21,6%
Cent/East Europe and
Cent Asia
7,4%
Latin America & Carib.
8,6%
Sub-Saharan Africa
10,6%
Middle East and North
Africa
3,5%
Asia Pacific
10,1%
South Asia
28,2%
The pie-chart shows the distribution of disabling hearing loss across different regions
of the world.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of disabling hearing loss across the world
The table gives the prevalence of disabling hearing loss among all ages, in millions
and as percentage of population, overall and according to regions.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of disabling hearing loss in adult males,
adult females and children across the world
This table shows the prevalence of disabling hearing loss across the world for each
population group separately– children, adult males and adult females. The prevalence
trends are similar to the trends for the global population.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for adults
Prevalence of disabling hearing loss for
adults by region
10,00%
8,00%
6,00%
4,00%
2,00%
0,00%
High-income
Cent/East Europe
and Cent Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Middle East and
North Africa
South Asia
Asia Pacific
Latin America and
Caribbean
East Asia
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for adults 15+ years old
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for males 15+ years old
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for females 15+ years old
This figure shows the prevalence of disabling hearing loss among adults (males,
females and both together) across different world regions. It is evident that the
prevalence is higher in males compared to females in all regions.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of disabling hearing loss in
children
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss
3,00%
2,00%
1,00%
0,00%
High-income
Cent/East
Europe and Cent
Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Middle East and
North Africa
South Asia
Asia Pacific
Latin America
and Caribbean
East Asia
The graph depicts the prevalence of hearing loss in children (0-15 years) across all
regions.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of disabling hearing loss for
children, adults 15+, and adults 65+
50,00%
Overall, the prevalence of
disabling
hearing
loss
increases
with
age,
i.e.
prevalence in children is 1.7%;
in adults aged 15+ -> 7.6%;
rapidly increasing to almost
one in three in adults older than
65 years.
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
45,00%
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss
The
graph
shows
the
prevalence of hearing loss in
different age groups, across
the regions.
40,00%
35,00%
30,00%
25,00%
20,00%
15,00%
10,00%
5,00%
0,00%
Prevalence of DHL for children until 14 years old
Prevalence of DHL for adults 15 years or older
Prevalence of DHL for adults 65 years or older
Trends in hearing loss over the next 35
years
DHL Estimates Projections
(both sexes, all ages)
Number of people with DHL in millions
1 000,00
930,00
859,00
782,00
704,00
630,00
554,00
489,00
431,00
0,00
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
Year
This graph shows (in millions) WHO’s projections regarding the number of people
.likely to have DHL is growing in coming years
.It could rise from 466 million in 2018, to 933 million in 2050
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Projected number of people with hearing
loss in different world regions until 2050
.The map shows the current and projected number of people with hearing loss in different regions
.Projections show that the number of people with disabling hearing loss will increase in all regions
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for
children versus average GNI per capita:*
Asia Pacific: 2%
2,00%
S-Sahara Africa: 1.9%
Latin America and
Caribbean: 1.6%
Cent/East Europe and
Cent Asia1.6%
1,50%
East Asia: 1.3%
1,00%
y = 0,0286x-0,333
Middle East and North
Africa: 0.92%
High Income: 0.5%
0,50%
Average GNI per capita 2016 (thousands US Dollars)
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children until 14 years old 2018
Степенная (Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children until 14 years old 2018)
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
0,00%
10
*GNI per capita: gross national income per capita
South Asia: 2.4%
5
___________________
2,50%
-
The graph shows
that in children,
prevalence
decreases
exponentially as
national income
increases.
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children
3,00%
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss in children
versus average parent's literacy rate
3,00%
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2,50%
South Asia: 2.39%
Asia Pacific: 2.20%
2,00%
S-Sahara Africa: 1.93%
Latin America and
Caribbean: 1.6% Cent/East Europe and
Cent Asia 1.55%
y = -0,0002x + 0,0333
1,50%
East Asia 1.28%
1,00%
Middle East and North
Africa: 0.92%
0,50%
WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children until 14 years old
100
Average Parent's Literacy rate (% of population of 15 or more years old)
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
0,00%
50
Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children
(0 to 14 years old)
The graph shows a
negative relationship
between prevalence
of disabling hearing
loss in children and
parents’ literacy
rates. This means
that the prevalence
in children
decreases when
parents’ literacy rate
increases.
Annex 1: World regions
Details of Selected Regions
Countries
Subregion
East Asia region
East Asia
China, Hong Kong SAR (China), Macau SAR (China), Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Asia Pacific region
Southeast Asia
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, TimorLeste, Viet Nam.
Oceania
Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia (Federated States of), Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea,
Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Niue.
South Asia region
South Asia
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan
Central / Eastern Europe and Central Asia region
Central Asia
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Central Europe
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of).
Eastern Europe
Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine.
Middle East and North Africa region
North Africa and Middle East
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Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Morocco, Occupied
Palestinian Territory, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Yemen.
WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Annex 1: Distribution of countries in regions
Central Africa
East Africa
Southern Africa
West Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa region
Angola, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon.
Burundi, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Somalia,
Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia.
Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe.
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali,
Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, São Tomé and Príncipe, Togo.
Latin America and Caribbean region
Andean Latin America
Central Latin America
Southern Latin America
Tropical Latin America
Caribbean
Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru.
Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Venezuela (Bolivarian Rep. of).
Argentina, Chile, Uruguay.
Brazil, Paraguay.
Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada,
Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago.
High-income region
Asia-Pacific
Australasia
North America
Western Europe
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Brunei Darussalam, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore.
Australia, New Zealand.
Canada, United States of America.
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta,
Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Monaco and San Marino.
WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss
Annex 2: Data sources
Indicator
Source
Hearing Loss Estimates MBD: All degrees of hearing loss for adults and
children
WHO, 2018 Hearing Loss estimates
Population 2017 Estimates
*UNDP 2017 World Population Prospects
GNI per capita 2016 Estimates, Atlas method (current US $ Dollars)
**Worldbank Database 2018
Literacy rate 2016 Estimates, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)
**Worldbank Database 2018
*WPP available at: http://www.un.org/esa/population/
**Worldbank database available at: http://data.worldbank.org/
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WHO global estimates on prevalence of hearing loss