The number of people with hearing loss in China is projected to rise by 34.72%, from 462.88 million in 2015 to 623.60 million by 2060, driven by aging and socioeconomic factors.

“The number with moderate-to-complete hearing loss will increase by 110.04%, from 115.14 million in 2015 to 241.84 million in 2060,”  says a latest study published by Chinese Medical Journal. 

The study sees  “a clear causal relationship” between hearing loss and aging. 

“Most people experience some degree of hearing loss as they age. As the population of China increases and ages over future decades, the need for hearing care will increase,” the study points out.

In recent years China’s older population has grown rapidly. 

“In 2020, the number of people aged ≥65 years in China reached 191 million, accounting for 13.50% of the total population. The older population (aged >65 years) in China may reach 32.9% by 2060 (sic),” the study reveals.

Hearing care constitutes a comprehensive approach that includes hearing screening, ear examination, audiological assessment, hearing aid fitting and programming, cochlear implantation and use of other implantable hearing devices, rehabilitation, and assistive technology.

“We found that the regional distribution of hearing loss was unbalanced. The prevalence of moderate-to-complete hearing loss was high in eastern provinces of China and low throughout inland provinces,” the study says, attributing it to the large population density and rapid population aging in the economically developed eastern regions, in comparison with the sparsely populated central and western regions, which have relatively low life expectancy.

“The proportion of moderately severe-to-severe hearing loss was higher in the central and western provinces, and the proportion of profound and complete hearing loss was higher in the inland and sparsely populated provinces,” the study revealed. 

The reason for this, the study explains,  is that the provinces in western China are relatively undeveloped in terms of hearing healthcare.  On the contrary, the eastern coastal areas with more developed economies have medical systems that can provide more timely hearing interventions.

According to the 2021 World Report on Hearing by WHO, the number of people with hearing loss worldwide exceeds 1.5 billion. 

A study by the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors (GBD) in 2019 found that  hearing loss is the third most common cause of the global disease burden, after back pain and migraine, ranking first among sensory disorders.

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