Hearing Loss & Hearing Aid Statistics

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), it is estimated that in the United States, approximately 15% of adults over the age of 18 report having some degree of hearing loss. This unfortunately means that hearing loss is the third most chronic physical condition in the U.S. Read the following hearing loss statistics and learn more.

Statistics about Hearing Loss

• Estimates show that 466 million people around the world have a disabling hearing loss. Of these, 34 million are children. (source)
• The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 900+ million people will have a disabling hearing loss by the year 2050. (source)
• The strongest predictor of hearing loss for adults 20 – 69 years old is age. The highest amount of hearing loss is in those aged 60-69. (source)
• Approximately 33% of American adults aged 65-74 and almost 50% of those aged 75+ have hearing loss. (source)
• Causes of hearing loss may include: (source)
  • Natural aging
  • Autoimmune inner ear disease
  • Ototoxic medications
  • Some health conditions
  • Chronic ear infections
  • Exposure to loud noise (check out common hearing hazards in the workplace)
• The Hearing Health Foundation estimates that in the United States, profound hearing loss can cost as much as $1 million per person over the course of a lifetime. (source)
• Roughly 10% of Americans experience Tinnitus on a regular basis. (source)
• 25 million American adults report experiencing tinnitus for five or more continuous minutes in the past year. (source)
• 16 million people seek medical attention for tinnitus. (source)

Still have questions?

Please contact us at Hearing, Balance & Speech to schedule a hearing assessment with one of our experienced hearing care professionals today. We are here for you, to help with all aspects of your hearing health.