Population estimates of the number of adults in the United Kingdom with a hearing loss updated using 2021 and 2022 census data

Abstract

ABSTRACTWe update an earlier publication (Akeroyd MA et al., Int J Audiol. 2014 53(1):60-1) to derive new estimates of the number of adults in the UK with a hearing loss, using population data from the 2021/2022 UK censuses and prevalence data from the UK National Study of Hearing (Akeroyd MA et al. Trends In Hearing 2019 Jan-Dec;23:2331216519887614). Setting a criterion of a four-frequency hearing level >= 35 dB in the better ear gives an estimate of 4.6 million adults aged 18–80, which is a 17% increase on the earlier value from the 2011 census. With a criterion of >= 20 dB hearing level, the estimate is 12.3 million in total, or 1 in 4 of the population aged 18-80. The revised numbers highlight just how common hearing problems are in the population.