Hearing Impairment in Australia
In 2005, it was estimated that 3.55 million Australians (Figures 2 & 3) have hearing impairment. By 2010 there will be 4.02 million Australians with hearing impairment (worse ear).
Hearing impairment in children:
· 1-2 children/1000 have a permanent hearing impairment
· Over 500 Australian children are born annually with either moderate to profound hearing impairment
· Overall, an estimated 10,250 Australian children aged 0-14 years have hearing impairment
· Hearing impairment is 3 times higher among Indigenous children than non-Indigenous children.
Hearing impairment in adults:
· 1 in 6 Australians is affected by hearing impairment
· Men have a higher incidence of hearing impairment than women
· The most common causes of hearing impairment/loss in adults are ageing and excessive exposure to loud sounds
· Over 50% of the population aged between 60 and 70 years have hearing impairment.
Figure 2. Prevalence of hearing impairment by age group
![](https://www.mtaa.org.au/sites/default/files/uploaded-content/website-content/vot-website-hearing-fig-2.jpg)
Figure 3. Projected prevalence of hearing impairment in Australia to 2050
![](https://www.mtaa.org.au/sites/default/files/uploaded-content/website-content/vot-website-hearing-fig-3.jpg)
KEY FACTS Global · In 2005, there were 278 million people in the world with disabling hearing impairment (a further 364 million people are estimated to have a mild hearing impairment) · Two thirds of the burden of hearing impairment is in developing countries. Australia · 1 in every 6 Australian adults have hearing impairment (1 in every 4 men) · More than 500 babies are born with a hearing impairment in Australia each year · There are over 16,000 hearing impaired children and individuals under the age of 21 years · Approximately 1 in 2 hearing impaired adolescents experience some kind of mental health problem while at school
Employment opportunities for the hearing impaired people are significantly less than for people with normal hearing |