06 April 2021

Many people in Europe live with a hearing loss

It is estimated that around 58.5 million people in Europe would say they have a hearing loss, if asked. Figures from Spain, United Kingdom and Germany support this estimate.

11.1% of the population of Europe, or 58.5 million people, would say they have a hearing loss, according to calculations based on the EuroTrak surveys on hearing and hearing loss that have been carried out in a number of European countries.

Spain

According to the EuroTrak Spain 2020 survey, 11.3% of people living in Spain say that they have a hearing loss. Among adults in Spain aged 18 or older, 13.3% say they have a hearing loss. Nearly 37% of those who say they have a hearing loss use hearing instruments.

United Kingdom

In a survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by the British Irish Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (BIHIMA), 16% of respondents self-reported having hearing loss.

Germany

When measured with a hearing test, more than 15% of adult Germans have a hearing loss of 25 dB or greater, a study finds. 15.5% of the participants in a German study showed a hearing loss (pure-tone average - PTA) of 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 kHz in the better ear greater than 25 dB HL. 8.6% of the participants had a hearing loss (PTA) of at least 35 dB HL in the better ear.