In less than 30 years, nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide face the threat of hearing loss, and at least 700 million of them will need ear and hearing care as well as other rehabilitation services, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) report, which was released on Wednesday in advance of World Hearing Day 2021.
The number would represent a huge increase from the 430 million persons who now experience “disabling hearing loss” worldwide.
Our capacity for hearing is valuable. Untreated hearing loss can have a disastrous effect on a person’s capacity for communication, education, and employment, according to Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization. It may also have an effect on a person’s mental health and capacity for sustaining relationships.
