57 Hearing Health Statistics

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These hearing health figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Hearing Health Statistics

The main findings are:

  • An estimated 1.571 billion people globally had hearing loss of at least 20 dB in 2019, equal to 19.3% of the population.
  • People older than 50 years represented 62.1% of everyone with hearing impairment in 2019.
  • About 15% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older, or 37.5 million people, report some trouble hearing (2012 NHIS estimate cited by NIDCD; United States adults 18+).
  • Roughly 10% of U.S. adults, about 25 million people, experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes during the previous year (past-year estimate cited by NIDCD; United States adults).
  • About 12.5% of U.S. children and adolescents aged 6–19, approximately 5.2 million, have suffered permanent hearing damage from excessive noise exposure (CDC estimate cited on page; United States ages 6–19).
  • The African region had 136.7 million people with hearing loss of at least 20 dB in 2019 (WHO African region).
  • More than 25% of people older than 60 years are affected by disabling hearing loss (WHO current estimate accessed 2026; global adults over 60).
  • 403.3 million people had moderate-to-complete hearing loss of at least 35 dB after adjustment for hearing-aid use in 2019.
  • People younger than 15 years represented 4.4% of people with hearing impairment, or 69.7 million children, in 2019.
  • Among U.S. adults aged 20–69, annual hearing-loss prevalence fell from 16% or 28.0 million in 1999–2004 to 14% or 27.7 million in 2011–2012 (1999–2004 and 2011–2012; United States adults 20–69).
  • About 14.4% of adults worldwide have experienced tinnitus (global estimate cited by NIDCD; global adults).
  • About 17% of U.S. adults aged 20–69, approximately 26 million, have suffered permanent hearing damage from excessive noise exposure (CDC estimate cited on page; United States adults 20–69).
  • The Eastern Mediterranean region had 78.8 million people with hearing loss of at least 20 dB in 2019 (WHO Eastern Mediterranean region).
  • Nearly 60% of hearing loss in children is due to avoidable causes, according to WHO (WHO current estimate accessed 2026; global children).
  • Without adjustment for hearing-aid use, 430.4 million people had moderate-to-complete hearing loss in the better-hearing ear in 2019.

Contents

Global hearing health statistics: prevalence, severity and regional scale

GBD model estimate with 95% uncertainty interval of 1.512–1.636 billion and 18.5%–20.0%.

95% uncertainty interval 357.3–449.5 million; adjusted measure differs from untreated hearing-loss count.

95% uncertainty interval 381.7–479.6 million; threshold is at least 35 dB in the better ear.

Mild hearing loss is included in the all-hearing-loss measure, not the moderate-to-complete measure.

95% uncertainty interval 10.34–15.48 million.

95% uncertainty interval 519.6–562.0 million.

95% uncertainty interval 385.2–415.8 million.

95% uncertainty interval 205.9–225.6 million.

95% uncertainty interval 185.4–204.0 million.

The study attributes the case increase mainly to population growth and ageing.

95% uncertainty intervals were 18.4%–19.9% and 18.5%–20.0%, respectively.

95% uncertainty interval 4.5%–5.6%; threshold is at least 35 dB.

Hearing loss statistics by age, children and causes

95% uncertainty interval 60.2%–63.9%; applies to all hearing-impairment severities modeled.

95% uncertainty interval 3.9%–5.0% and 59.9–78.8 million.

95% uncertainty interval 56.9%–70.2%; cause attribution is modeled.

95% uncertainty interval 94.5%–97.6%; this is cause attribution, not an incidence rate.

GBD ranking for YLDs, not a clinical diagnosis count.

WHO fact-sheet estimate; it covers hearing loss broadly and is not restricted to disabling loss.

WHO defines disabling hearing loss here as greater than 35 dB in the better-hearing ear.

WHO fact-sheet population grouping; not a comparison of age-standardized prevalence.

Historical study estimate and population definition are as cited by NIDCD.

CDC state and territory data; screening coverage is not diagnostic prevalence.

CDC EHDI data; identification depends on screening and reporting pathways.

Denominator is babies screened, not all births.

Population-based audiometric testing estimate; historical survey and criteria differ from parent-report estimates.

Parent-reported measure and moderate-to-profound definition are not comparable with NHANES audiometry.

U.S. hearing health statistics: adult prevalence and disparities

Self-reported trouble hearing; not equivalent to audiometric hearing loss.

NHANES audiometric trend; changing population composition and measurement period matter.

NIDCD reports a relative comparison without a single percentage in the summary.

Audiometric bilateral measure; not self-reported hearing difficulty.

NIDCD uses disabling loss of at least 35 dB in the better ear.

NIDCD definition is at least 35 dB in the better ear.

Tinnitus, daily functioning and mental-health outcomes

Tinnitus duration threshold is at least five minutes; this is not chronic tinnitus.

NIDCD summarizes a source estimate; experience-based tinnitus definition may vary.

Severity definition follows the cited tinnitus source and is not supplied in the summary.

Chronicity threshold is more than three months; not the same denominator as U.S. past-year tinnitus.

Cross-sectional association; it does not establish that hearing loss causes depression.

Cross-sectional association and self-reported tinnitus frequency.

Study population and functional definition are as cited; comparison is not a causal estimate.

Comparator from the same cited study; not necessarily nationally representative.

Noise exposure and occupational hearing health statistics

  • About 12.5% of U.S. children and adolescents aged 6–19, approximately 5.2 million, have suffered permanent hearing damage from excessive noise exposure (CDC estimate cited on page; United States ages 6–19). (Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss)
  • About 17% of U.S. adults aged 20–69, approximately 26 million, have suffered permanent hearing damage from excessive noise exposure (CDC estimate cited on page; United States adults 20–69). (Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss)
  • Approximately 28% of U.S. workers have been exposed to hazardous noise (2023 worker estimates; United States workers). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)
  • About 16% of U.S. workers, or 27 million, were exposed to hazardous noise in the last year (2023; United States workers). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)
  • Approximately 13% of U.S. workers, or 22 million, were exposed to ototoxic chemicals in the last year (2023; United States workers). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)
  • About 7% of U.S. workers were exposed to both hazardous noise and ototoxic chemicals in the last year (2023; United States workers). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)
  • Approximately 11% of all U.S. workers have hearing difficulty (2023 worker estimates; United States workers). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)
  • About 8% of all U.S. workers have tinnitus (2007 source study summarized by NIOSH; United States workers). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)
  • About 20% of noise-exposed tested U.S. workers have material hearing impairment (2010–2019 source study). (Overall Statistics – All U.S.…)

Permanent damage estimate; not current clinical prevalence of all hearing loss.

Permanent damage estimate; exposure attribution is not a prospective causal measure.

NIOSH surveillance estimate based on cited occupational exposure data.

Last-year exposure estimate; hazardous-noise definition follows NIOSH source data.

Exposure does not mean diagnosed hearing damage.

Joint-exposure estimate; not a hearing-loss prevalence measure.

Hearing difficulty is a surveillance measure and not identical to audiometric loss.

Tinnitus definition and source population are as cited by NIOSH.

Material impairment means hearing loss severe enough to make speech difficult to understand.

Hearing screening, treatment uptake and rehabilitation gaps

95% uncertainty interval 130.1–143.4 million.

95% uncertainty interval 75.3–82.2 million.

Crude case growth; age-standardized prevalence remained broadly stable.

  • More than 25% of people older than 60 years are affected by disabling hearing loss (WHO current estimate accessed 2026; global adults over 60). (Deafness and hearing loss)
  • Nearly 60% of hearing loss in children is due to avoidable causes, according to WHO (WHO current estimate accessed 2026; global children). (Deafness and hearing loss)
  • Two to three of every 1,000 U.S. children are born with detectable hearing loss in one or both ears (current NIDCD summary; United States children). (Quick Statistics About Hearing, Balance,…)

WHO definition is greater than 35 dB in the better-hearing ear.

WHO summarizes preventable causes across childhood; it is not a single surveillance denominator.

Detectable loss at birth; does not represent all later-onset childhood hearing loss.

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