WHO Reveals 95 Million Children and Adolescents in the World Experience Hearing Disorders

JAKARTA - The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed an alarming fact regarding cases of hearing loss in children and adolescents in the world. There are 95 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 years in the world who live with hearing loss.

The WHO and Global Burden of Disease data show that the prevalence of hearing loss is disproportionately higher in low- and middle-income countries. Especially in the African and Southeast Asian regions.

Untreated hearing loss can affect more than just a child's ability to hear. This condition can also delay speech and language development, inhibit cognitive growth, and limit social interaction.

This can ultimately lead to worse educational outcomes, reduced employment prospects for children in the future, and long-term economic losses.

Thus, the prevention and treatment of hearing disorders in children and adolescents must be increasingly intensified. Early identification and timely intervention are very important to improve outcomes for children with hearing disorders.

Strengthen primary health care systems to include essential ear and hearing services, to ensure that children receive the care they need.

"WHO estimates that almost 60 percent of ear and hearing problems can be prevented or treated in trained health clinics and the availability of the necessary equipment, medicines, and hearing aids," said WHO Director of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, Ms Devora Kestel, quoted from the WHO website, Wednesday, March 4, 2026.

For children who have lived with hearing problems, timely access to cost-effective evidence-based interventions, including medications, surgery, hearing aids, cochlear implants, rehabilitation therapy, sign language, is needed to improve their quality of life.

Thus, to improve the management of childhood and adolescent hearing loss, WHO provides evidence-based interventions for countries with technical resources to support their care, including:

- Hearing screening: considerations for implementation- Vision and hearing screening for school-age children: a handbook for implementation- Approaches to the delivery of hearing aid services for low- and middle-income settings

"With practical and affordable solutions now available, no child should be left behind because of untreated ear and hearing problems," said the leader of the WHO Team for Eye, Ear and Oral Health, Dr. Shelly Chadha.