WHO global estimates on

prevalence of hearing loss

Mortality and Burden of Diseases

and
Prevention of Blindness and Deafness
WHO, 2012

In 2012, WHO released new estimates on the magnitude of

disabling hearing loss. The estimates are based on 42
population-based studies.
Estimates are as follows:
There are 360 million persons in the world with disabling hearing loss (5.3% of the worlds
population).
328 million (91%)of these are adults (183 million males, 145 million females)
32 (9%) million of these are children.
The prevalence of disabling hearing loss in children is greatest in South Asia, Asia Pacific and
Sub-Saharan Africa.
Approximately one-third of persons over 65 years are affected by disabling hearing loss.
The prevalence of disabling hearing loss in adults over 65 years is highest in South Asia, Asia
Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Regions, are as identified by the Institute of Health Matrix and Evaluations 2010 GBD estimates
study.

Definition of disabling hearing loss

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).

Subregion

East Asia

Southeast Asia

Oceania

South Asia

Central Asia
Central Europe

Eastern Europe

North Africa and Middle East

Central Africa
East Africa

Southern Africa
West Africa

Andean Latin America

Central Latin America
Southern Latin America
Tropical Latin America
Caribbean

Asia-Pacific
Australasia
North America
Western Europe

Details of Selected Regions

Countries
East Asia region
China, Hong Kong SAR (China), Macau SAR (China), Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Taiwan.
Asia Pacific region
Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka,
Thailand, Timor-Leste, Viet Nam.
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
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan
Central / Eastern Europe and Central Asia region
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia,
Slovakia, Slovenia, Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of).
Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Ukraine.
Middle East and North Africa region
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.
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, Cte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia,
Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, So Tom and Prncipe, Togo.
Latin America and Caribbean region
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
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.

Data sources
Indicator

Source

Hearing Loss Estimates MBD: All degrees of hearing loss for adults
and children
WHO, 2012 Hearing Loss estimates
Population 2008 Estimates

*UNDP 2010 World Population Prospects

GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US $ Dollars)

**Worldbank Database 2008

Literacy rate, adult total (% of people ages 15 and above)

**Worldbank Database 2009

*UNDP WPP available at: http://www.un.org/esa/population/

**Worldbank database available at: http://data.worldbank.org/

Prevalence of hearing loss: WHO global

estimates
Males: 183m.
56%

*Children: 32m
9%

*Adults: 328 m.
91%

*MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates; DHL adults (15+ years) threshold
is 41 dB and children threshold is 31 dB.

Females: 145m.
44%

Disabling hearing loss is unequally distributed

across the world
East Asia
22%

High-income
11%

Latin America &

Caribbean
9%

Asia Pacific
10%

Central/East Europe
and Central Asia
9%
Sub-Saharan Africa
9%
Middle East and
North Africa
3%

South Asia
27%

MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates; DHL adult threshold is 41 dB, adults of 15 years or older.

Selected Regions
High-income
Central/Eastern Europe and
Central Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Middle East and North Africa
South Asia
Asia Pacific
Latin America and Caribbean
East Asia
World

DHL in children
Both sexes
prevalence
millions
(%)
0.8
0.5
1.1
6.8
1.2
12.3
3.4
2.6
3.6
31.9

1.6
1.9
0.9
2.4
2.0
1.6
1.3
1.7

DHL in adults
Males
prevalence
millions
(%)
19
4.9
14
17
6
52
19
15
41
183

9.0
7.4
4.1
9.5
8.7
7.6
7.4
7.5

Females
prevalence
millions
(%)
18
4.4
16
13
4
36
15
13
30
145

8.8
5.5
2.9
7.0
6.8
6.0
5.6
5.9

MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates

Prevalence of disabling hearing loss in some regions is

nearly double that of the high income region.

Prevalence of disabling hearing loss for adults by

region:
10%

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for adults

9%
8%
7%
6%
5%
4%
3%
2%
1%
0%

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
*MBD, WHO , 2012, DHL estimates, where DHL adult threshold is 41 dB HL

Prevalence of disabling hearing loss in children:

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss

3%

2%

1%

0%

*MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates, where DHL children threshold is 31 dB

The prevalence for disabling hearing loss in children is highest in the south Asia region followed by SubSaharan Africa. There is a marked difference in the prevalence rates in high income parts of the world.

Approximately 15% of the

world's adult population
has some degree of
hearing loss. About one
third of those who are
affected, have disabling
hearing loss.

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for adults

(15 years or older)

Prevalence of hearing loss for adults by degree of

hearing loss:
18.0%
16.0%
14.0%
12.0%
10.0%
8.0%
6.0%
4.0%
2.0%
0.0%

Slight impairment (26-40dB)

Moderate impairment (41-60dB)
Severe impairment (61-80dB)
Profound impairment (>80dB)
* MBD, WHO, 2011 DHL estimates, where DHL adult threshold is 41 dB.

Prevalence of disabling hearing loss for children, adults:

15 years or older, and 65 years or older:
50%

The prevalence increases

with age, i.e. prevalence in
children is 1.7%, in adults
aged 15 years or more, it is
around 7%, rapidly
increasing to almost one in
three in adults older than
65 years.

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss

45%
40%
35%
30%
25%

20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

Prevalence of DHL for children until 14 years old (per 100 children)
Prevalence of DHL for adults 15 years or older (per 100 populuation)
Prevalence of DHL for adults 65 years or older (per 100 population)
*MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates, where DHL adult threshold is 41 dB
and children threshold is 31 dB (children 0 until 14 years old).

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children versus average

GNI per capita:*
4%

South Asia: 2.4%

Asia Pacific: 2%

2%

S-Sahara Africa:
1.9% Latin America and
Caribbean: 1.6%
Cent/East Europe
and Cent Asia1.6%

2%

East Asia: 1.3%

1%
y = 0.0266x-0.334

Middle East and

North Africa: 0.92%

High Income: 0.5%

1%

Average GNI per capita (thousands US Dollars)

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children until 14 years old
*MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates,

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0%

*GNI per capita: gross national

income per capita

3%

______________________

3%

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children

In children,
prevalence decreases
exponentially as GNI
increases.

In adults of 65
years and older
prevalence
decreases
exponentially as
income increases.

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss (adults 65+)

Prevalence of disabling hearing loss for adults (65 years or older)

versus average GNI per capita:*
60%

South Asia: 48%

50%

S-Sahara Africa: 44%

Asia Pacific: 43.5%
Latin America and
Caribbean: 39%
Cent/East Europe and
Cent Asia 36%

40%

30%

East Asia: 34%

y = 0.5212x-0.208

Middle East and

North Africa: 26%

20%

High Income: 18%

10%

_____________________
*GNI per capita: gross national
income per capita

Average GNI per capita (thousands US Dollars)

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for adults over 65 years old
Power (Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for adults over 65 years old)
*MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates.

50

45

40

35

30

25

20

15

10

0%

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children versus average

parent's literacy rate:
30%

25%
South Asia: 2.47%
S-Sahara Africa: 2%

20%

y = -0.002x + 0.3291

Asia Pacific: 2.10%

Latin America and
Cent/East Europe
Caribbean: 1.7%
and Cent Asia1.6%

15%
East Asia

10%
Middle East and
North Africa: 0.95%
5%

Average Parent's Literacy rate (% of population of 15 or more years old)

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children until 14 years old

Linear (Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children until 14 years old)
*MBD, WHO, 2012 DHL estimates, where DHL children threshold is 31 dB.

100

95

90

85

80

75

70

65

60

55

0%

50

Prevalence of Disabling Hearing Loss for children

In most regions,
prevalence in children
decreases linearly as
parent's literacy rate
increases.