UK hearing loss facts and figures
In the UK, hearing impairment is a common condition. The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) estimates that in the UK there are almost nine million hearing impaired people.
Approximately 28% of people who are hearing impaired are between 16-60 years of age, and 72% are over 60 years of age.
In terms of age-related hearing loss, about 71% of people who are hearing impaired are over 70 years of age. The severity of hearing impairment among this age group is as follows:
- mild – 38%,
- moderate – 52%, and
- severe – 10%.
Approximately 42% of people who are over 50 years of age have some kind of hearing impairment. The severity of hearing impairment among this age group is as follows:
- mild – 52%,
- moderate – 41%, and
- severe – 7%.
In the UK, each year, around 840 babies are born with a significant hearing impairment. About 1 in 1,000 children are deaf at three years of age.
Approximately 20,000 children between 0-15 years of age are moderately to severely deaf, and there are about 12,000 children between this age range who were born deaf.
Taken from here.
