Across the globe, more than 278 million people have moderate-to-profound
hearing loss in both ears, and most people who have hearing loss live
in developing countries. Approximately 50 percent of all hearing loss
can be prevented. Across the globe, more than 100 countries are
considered “developing countries” and these same countries contain some
80 percent of the world’s population. The average expenditure on health
care in developed countries is $2,716 US, whereas the average cost
expenditure on health care in the “least developed” countries is $13 US.
The authors report that children with hearing loss in developing
countries experience delays in development of speech, language, and
other cognitive skills. Children with disabilities see physicians 1.5
times more often than children without disabilities. Read more to learn about these global hearing loss and related issues.