Hearing loss in different countries 

Hearing loss prevalence and conditions for recieving hearing aids in different countries.

In this section we have collected surveys about the prevalence of hearing loss in different countries and we present an overview of the conditions and regulations governing the dispensing of hearing aids in different countries, mainly in Europe and North America.

Surveys carried out in various European countries show, that when hearing is measured, 16% of adult Europeans suffer from a hearing loss great enough to adversely affect their daily life. Another study carried out in Germany, England and France reveals that, when asked, one in eight adult Europeans actually said that they have a hearing loss.

In the US, 35 million Americans suffer from hearing loss according resent research. In Australia, the prevalence of hearing loss is quite similar to the figures that can be found in Europe.

It is difficult to find data about the prevalence of hearing loss in Latin America, Asia and Africa.

The number of people with hearing loss is steadily increasing, according to several studies. The causes are our noisy lifestyle and increased age.

Receiving hearing aids

The conditions for receiving hearing aids vary from one country to the other. In most countries the purchasing and dispensing of hearing aids is a private matter. However, in some of these countries, hard of hearing people are eligible for a public subsidy which covers all or some of the costs involved. In other countries the dispensing of hearing aids is mainly undertaken by the public authorities.