GITNUXREPORT 2026

Deaf Statistics

Deafness affects millions yet many still face significant barriers worldwide.

Rajesh Patel

Team Lead & Senior Researcher with over 15 years of experience in market research and data analytics.

First published: Feb 13, 2026

Our Commitment to Accuracy

Rigorous fact-checking · Reputable sources · Regular updatesLearn more

Statistic 1

40% of deaf children have additional disabilities

Statistic 2

Deaf students graduate high school at 60% rate vs. 80% hearing peers

Statistic 3

Only 54% of deaf college entrants complete a bachelor's degree

Statistic 4

Deaf students score 20-30 points lower on SAT verbal sections

Statistic 5

70% of deaf children use spoken language as primary mode

Statistic 6

Bimodal bilingualism improves literacy by 25% in deaf students

Statistic 7

Deaf students lag 3-4 grade levels in reading by high school

Statistic 8

Sign language immersion boosts vocabulary acquisition by 40%

Statistic 9

Only 15% of U.S. schools provide full ASL instruction

Statistic 10

Deaf students with cochlear implants read at 50th percentile more often

Statistic 11

Functional literacy rate among deaf adults is under 20%

Statistic 12

Early sign language exposure raises IQ scores by 15 points

Statistic 13

85% of deaf students in mainstream classes lack qualified interpreters

Statistic 14

Deaf girls outperform boys in literacy by 10-15%

Statistic 15

Cued speech improves phoneme recognition to 80%

Statistic 16

Deaf students drop out at 3x the rate of hearing students

Statistic 17

Visual phonics boosts reading fluency by 35% in deaf learners

Statistic 18

Only 40% of deaf youth achieve reading comprehension at grade level

Statistic 19

Deaf students in ASL-English bilingual programs score 25% higher on comprehension tests

Statistic 20

Postsecondary enrollment for deaf students is 50% lower than peers

Statistic 21

Deaf adults have 50% lower literacy rates than hearing adults

Statistic 22

Early intervention raises language milestones achievement by 60%

Statistic 23

Deaf students using FM systems improve listening comprehension by 20%

Statistic 24

Reading age for many deaf adults stalls at 9-10 years old

Statistic 25

Bilingual education correlates with 30% better academic outcomes

Statistic 26

Only 12% of deaf students take AP courses

Statistic 27

Deaf homeschoolers show 20% higher literacy gains

Statistic 28

Vocabulary size in deaf children without sign is 30% of hearing peers at age 5

Statistic 29

Deaf university students graduate at 48% rate vs. 72% overall

Statistic 30

Deaf high schoolers have 25% math proficiency vs. 50% peers

Statistic 31

U.S. deaf unemployment is 70% higher than average

Statistic 32

Deaf workers earn 25-30% less than hearing counterparts

Statistic 33

Only 53% of deaf adults are employed full-time

Statistic 34

Deaf individuals face 2x discrimination complaints in workplaces

Statistic 35

STEM fields employ only 15% of deaf professionals

Statistic 36

Deaf self-employment rate is 12%, double the general population

Statistic 37

60% of deaf job seekers report communication barriers as primary issue

Statistic 38

Deaf college graduates have 65% employment rate vs. 85% hearing

Statistic 39

Interpreter costs reduce deaf hiring by 20%

Statistic 40

Deaf workers in manufacturing have 40% injury rates due to poor communication

Statistic 41

Poverty rate among deaf adults is 24% vs. 12% general

Statistic 42

Remote work increases deaf employment by 35% post-COVID

Statistic 43

75% of deaf prefer video relay for job interviews

Statistic 44

Deaf unemployment peaks at 18-24 age group at 40%

Statistic 45

Accommodations boost deaf productivity by 50%

Statistic 46

Deaf lawyers number only 500 in U.S.

Statistic 47

SSI/SSDI dependency is 50% among working-age deaf

Statistic 48

Deaf entrepreneurs start businesses at 1.5x rate of hearing

Statistic 49

30% of deaf report workplace bullying due to disability

Statistic 50

VRS usage correlates with 20% higher job retention

Statistic 51

Deaf STEM PhDs earn 15% less than hearing peers

Statistic 52

65% of deaf youth aspire to college but only 30% attend, impacting employability

Statistic 53

Captioning in training raises deaf skill acquisition by 40%

Statistic 54

Deaf unemployment in rural areas is 50% higher

Statistic 55

Government jobs employ 10% of deaf professionals

Statistic 56

Deaf workers lose $1 million lifetime earnings due to barriers

Statistic 57

Tech sector hires 5% deaf despite 20% qualified applicants

Statistic 58

Mentoring programs double deaf promotion rates

Statistic 59

Deaf customer service roles have 25% higher turnover

Statistic 60

Universal design workplaces retain deaf employees 30% longer

Statistic 61

Newborn hearing screening identifies 1-3 per 1,000 with loss

Statistic 62

Cochlear implants restore hearing in 80-90% of pediatric cases

Statistic 63

Untreated hearing loss increases dementia risk by 5 times

Statistic 64

Hearing aids improve quality of life scores by 30-50%

Statistic 65

Otitis media causes 70% of childhood hearing loss cases in developing countries

Statistic 66

Sudden sensorineural hearing loss affects 5-20 per 100,000 annually

Statistic 67

Meniere's disease prevalence is 0.2% in U.S. adults

Statistic 68

Vaccination reduces measles-related deafness by 90%

Statistic 69

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy succeeds in 60% of idiopathic sudden deafness cases

Statistic 70

Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder affects 10-15% of childhood deafness

Statistic 71

Diabetes doubles the risk of hearing loss

Statistic 72

Smoking increases hearing loss risk by 70%

Statistic 73

MRI detects acoustic neuroma in 10% of unilateral sudden deafness cases

Statistic 74

Gentamicin ototoxicity causes permanent deafness in 25% of treated cases

Statistic 75

Hearing loss correlates with 24% higher mortality risk in older adults

Statistic 76

Bilateral cochlear implantation improves speech recognition to 80% in adults

Statistic 77

Chronic ear infections lead to 50% conductive hearing loss if untreated

Statistic 78

Aspirin toxicity causes reversible hearing loss in 1-2% of high-dose users

Statistic 79

Vestibular schwannoma incidence is 1 per 100,000, often with hearing loss

Statistic 80

HIV increases otitis media risk by 5-fold in children

Statistic 81

Tympanostomy tubes resolve hearing loss in 85% of recurrent otitis cases

Statistic 82

Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) affects high frequencies first

Statistic 83

Chemotherapy ototoxicity affects 50-60% of cisplatin recipients

Statistic 84

Hearing loss in COVID-19 patients occurs in 7.6% of cases

Statistic 85

Stapedectomy success rate for otosclerosis is 90-95%

Statistic 86

Autoimmune inner ear disease responds to steroids in 70% initially

Statistic 87

Noise exposure above 85 dB for 8 hours causes 8% hearing loss risk increase

Statistic 88

Pendred syndrome accounts for 7.5% of congenital deafness

Statistic 89

Hearing aids reduce depression risk by 42% in users

Statistic 90

80% of hearing loss is preventable through public health measures

Statistic 91

Labyrinthitis resolves with full hearing recovery in 50% of viral cases

Statistic 92

GJB2 gene mutation causes 50% of genetic deafness in Europeans

Statistic 93

U.S. deaf adults have 2x higher hypertension rates than hearing peers

Statistic 94

Early cochlear implantation before age 2 yields 70% open-set speech

Statistic 95

In 2021, about 11.4% of U.S. adults (28.8 million people) reported some trouble hearing

Statistic 96

Globally, over 466 million people have disabling hearing loss, projected to reach 900 million by 2050

Statistic 97

In the U.S., 0.2% of adults (about 500,000) are profoundly deaf

Statistic 98

Approximately 48 million Americans report some degree of hearing loss

Statistic 99

Deafness affects 1 in 1,000 children born in developed countries

Statistic 100

In low- and middle-income countries, 9 out of 10 children with hearing loss receive no rehabilitation

Statistic 101

U.S. veterans have a 30% higher prevalence of hearing loss than civilians

Statistic 102

By age 65, one in three adults has some hearing loss, rising to one in two by age 75

Statistic 103

Worldwide, unaddressed hearing loss costs $980 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity

Statistic 104

In the UK, 1 in 8 people (12 million) have hearing loss

Statistic 105

90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents

Statistic 106

Bilateral severe or profound hearing loss affects 34 per 1,000 people globally

Statistic 107

In India, 63 million people have hearing loss

Statistic 108

African Americans have a 1.5 times higher risk of hearing loss than whites

Statistic 109

Noise-induced hearing loss affects 16% of U.S. adults

Statistic 110

In Australia, 1 in 6 people (3.6 million) have hearing loss

Statistic 111

Congenital hearing loss occurs in 1-3 per 1,000 live births worldwide

Statistic 112

Men are 1.5 times more likely to have hearing loss than women

Statistic 113

In China, over 27.8 million people aged 60+ have hearing impairment

Statistic 114

Hearing loss prevalence doubles every decade after age 50

Statistic 115

In the EU, 71 million people have hearing loss

Statistic 116

1.5 million U.S. children under 18 have hearing loss

Statistic 117

Ototoxic drugs contribute to 10-15% of acquired hearing loss cases

Statistic 118

In Brazil, 10.7 million people have disabling hearing loss

Statistic 119

Hearing loss is the 5th leading cause of years lived with disability globally

Statistic 120

In South Africa, 4.9 million adults have mild or worse hearing loss

Statistic 121

Usher syndrome, causing deafblindness, affects 4-17 per 100,000

Statistic 122

In Japan, 13.5% of population over 65 has hearing loss

Statistic 123

Globally, 1.1 billion young people at risk of hearing loss from leisure noise

Statistic 124

In Canada, 22% of adults (6 million) have mild hearing loss or worse

Statistic 125

Deaf community cohesion supports 15% higher job networks

Statistic 126

95% of deaf marry other deaf or hard-of-hearing

Statistic 127

ASL users number 500,000 in U.S.

Statistic 128

Deaf clubs have declined 70% since 1980s

Statistic 129

80% of deaf identify with Deaf culture

Statistic 130

Suicide ideation in deaf youth is 2x higher than hearing

Statistic 131

Deaf immigrants face 40% higher isolation rates

Statistic 132

Sign language poetry festivals attract 10,000 annually worldwide

Statistic 133

60% of deaf prefer deaf schools for social development

Statistic 134

Deaf theater productions reach 50,000 viewers yearly in U.S.

Statistic 135

Bullying affects 70% of deaf children vs. 50% hearing

Statistic 136

Deaf pride events like Deaflympics have 5,000 athletes

Statistic 137

90% of deaf use social media daily for community

Statistic 138

Intermarriage with hearing reduces cultural transmission by 50%

Statistic 139

Deaf religious groups number 200+ congregations in U.S.

Statistic 140

Mental health access for deaf is 50% lower

Statistic 141

Deaf video content on YouTube exceeds 1 million subscribers for top channels

Statistic 142

Family sign language use correlates with 30% better mental health

Statistic 143

Deaf advocacy groups influence 20+ laws yearly

Statistic 144

75% of deaf report stigma as major barrier

Statistic 145

Deaf art exhibitions feature 1,000+ works annually

Statistic 146

Social isolation in deaf elderly is 3x higher

Statistic 147

Deaf sports leagues have 20,000 members globally

Statistic 148

Captioned media increases deaf participation by 40%

Statistic 149

Deaf parenting classes reach 5,000 families yearly

Statistic 150

Cultural Deaf identity strengthens resilience by 25%

Statistic 151

Online deaf forums have 100,000+ active users

1/151

Sources

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While hearing loss will touch nearly everyone directly or through someone they know—with 1 in 8 people in the UK and one in three U.S. adults over 65 experiencing it—the vibrant, resilient global Deaf community is navigating a world not designed to listen.

Key Takeaways

In 2021, about 11.4% of U.S. adults (28.8 million people) reported some trouble hearing
Globally, over 466 million people have disabling hearing loss, projected to reach 900 million by 2050
In the U.S., 0.2% of adults (about 500,000) are profoundly deaf
Newborn hearing screening identifies 1-3 per 1,000 with loss
Cochlear implants restore hearing in 80-90% of pediatric cases
Untreated hearing loss increases dementia risk by 5 times
40% of deaf children have additional disabilities
Deaf students graduate high school at 60% rate vs. 80% hearing peers
Only 54% of deaf college entrants complete a bachelor's degree
U.S. deaf unemployment is 70% higher than average
Deaf workers earn 25-30% less than hearing counterparts
Only 53% of deaf adults are employed full-time
Deaf community cohesion supports 15% higher job networks
95% of deaf marry other deaf or hard-of-hearing
ASL users number 500,000 in U.S.

Deafness affects millions yet many still face significant barriers worldwide.

Education and Literacy

40% of deaf children have additional disabilities
Deaf students graduate high school at 60% rate vs. 80% hearing peers
Only 54% of deaf college entrants complete a bachelor's degree
Deaf students score 20-30 points lower on SAT verbal sections
70% of deaf children use spoken language as primary mode
Bimodal bilingualism improves literacy by 25% in deaf students
Deaf students lag 3-4 grade levels in reading by high school
Sign language immersion boosts vocabulary acquisition by 40%
Only 15% of U.S. schools provide full ASL instruction
Deaf students with cochlear implants read at 50th percentile more often
Functional literacy rate among deaf adults is under 20%
Early sign language exposure raises IQ scores by 15 points
85% of deaf students in mainstream classes lack qualified interpreters
Deaf girls outperform boys in literacy by 10-15%
Cued speech improves phoneme recognition to 80%
Deaf students drop out at 3x the rate of hearing students
Visual phonics boosts reading fluency by 35% in deaf learners
Only 40% of deaf youth achieve reading comprehension at grade level
Deaf students in ASL-English bilingual programs score 25% higher on comprehension tests
Postsecondary enrollment for deaf students is 50% lower than peers
Deaf adults have 50% lower literacy rates than hearing adults
Early intervention raises language milestones achievement by 60%
Deaf students using FM systems improve listening comprehension by 20%
Reading age for many deaf adults stalls at 9-10 years old
Bilingual education correlates with 30% better academic outcomes
Only 12% of deaf students take AP courses
Deaf homeschoolers show 20% higher literacy gains
Vocabulary size in deaf children without sign is 30% of hearing peers at age 5
Deaf university students graduate at 48% rate vs. 72% overall
Deaf high schoolers have 25% math proficiency vs. 50% peers

Education and Literacy Interpretation

The data paints a sobering portrait: despite proven methods like early sign exposure and bilingual education, systemic failures in access and instruction have left deaf students academically stranded, as evidenced by graduation gaps, literacy crises, and the heartbreaking reality that only one in five deaf adults achieves functional literacy.

Employment and Economy

U.S. deaf unemployment is 70% higher than average
Deaf workers earn 25-30% less than hearing counterparts
Only 53% of deaf adults are employed full-time
Deaf individuals face 2x discrimination complaints in workplaces
STEM fields employ only 15% of deaf professionals
Deaf self-employment rate is 12%, double the general population
60% of deaf job seekers report communication barriers as primary issue
Deaf college graduates have 65% employment rate vs. 85% hearing
Interpreter costs reduce deaf hiring by 20%
Deaf workers in manufacturing have 40% injury rates due to poor communication
Poverty rate among deaf adults is 24% vs. 12% general
Remote work increases deaf employment by 35% post-COVID
75% of deaf prefer video relay for job interviews
Deaf unemployment peaks at 18-24 age group at 40%
Accommodations boost deaf productivity by 50%
Deaf lawyers number only 500 in U.S.
SSI/SSDI dependency is 50% among working-age deaf
Deaf entrepreneurs start businesses at 1.5x rate of hearing
30% of deaf report workplace bullying due to disability
VRS usage correlates with 20% higher job retention
Deaf STEM PhDs earn 15% less than hearing peers
65% of deaf youth aspire to college but only 30% attend, impacting employability
Captioning in training raises deaf skill acquisition by 40%
Deaf unemployment in rural areas is 50% higher
Government jobs employ 10% of deaf professionals
Deaf workers lose $1 million lifetime earnings due to barriers
Tech sector hires 5% deaf despite 20% qualified applicants
Mentoring programs double deaf promotion rates
Deaf customer service roles have 25% higher turnover
Universal design workplaces retain deaf employees 30% longer

Employment and Economy Interpretation

The statistics paint a stark picture of a workforce where deaf talent is systemically underemployed and undervalued, yet their resilience shines through in higher rates of entrepreneurship and a clear roadmap—via accommodations, technology, and inclusive design—to unlock profound economic and human potential.

Health and Medical

Newborn hearing screening identifies 1-3 per 1,000 with loss
Cochlear implants restore hearing in 80-90% of pediatric cases
Untreated hearing loss increases dementia risk by 5 times
Hearing aids improve quality of life scores by 30-50%
Otitis media causes 70% of childhood hearing loss cases in developing countries
Sudden sensorineural hearing loss affects 5-20 per 100,000 annually
Meniere's disease prevalence is 0.2% in U.S. adults
Vaccination reduces measles-related deafness by 90%
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy succeeds in 60% of idiopathic sudden deafness cases
Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder affects 10-15% of childhood deafness
Diabetes doubles the risk of hearing loss
Smoking increases hearing loss risk by 70%
MRI detects acoustic neuroma in 10% of unilateral sudden deafness cases
Gentamicin ototoxicity causes permanent deafness in 25% of treated cases
Hearing loss correlates with 24% higher mortality risk in older adults
Bilateral cochlear implantation improves speech recognition to 80% in adults
Chronic ear infections lead to 50% conductive hearing loss if untreated
Aspirin toxicity causes reversible hearing loss in 1-2% of high-dose users
Vestibular schwannoma incidence is 1 per 100,000, often with hearing loss
HIV increases otitis media risk by 5-fold in children
Tympanostomy tubes resolve hearing loss in 85% of recurrent otitis cases
Age-related hearing loss (presbycusis) affects high frequencies first
Chemotherapy ototoxicity affects 50-60% of cisplatin recipients
Hearing loss in COVID-19 patients occurs in 7.6% of cases
Stapedectomy success rate for otosclerosis is 90-95%
Autoimmune inner ear disease responds to steroids in 70% initially
Noise exposure above 85 dB for 8 hours causes 8% hearing loss risk increase
Pendred syndrome accounts for 7.5% of congenital deafness
Hearing aids reduce depression risk by 42% in users
80% of hearing loss is preventable through public health measures
Labyrinthitis resolves with full hearing recovery in 50% of viral cases
GJB2 gene mutation causes 50% of genetic deafness in Europeans
U.S. deaf adults have 2x higher hypertension rates than hearing peers
Early cochlear implantation before age 2 yields 70% open-set speech

Health and Medical Interpretation

These statistics collectively reveal that hearing is a tragically undervalued sense, where a stitch in time through screening and treatment saves not just nine, but likely your cognitive function, social life, and possibly even your life expectancy.

Prevalence and Demographics

In 2021, about 11.4% of U.S. adults (28.8 million people) reported some trouble hearing
Globally, over 466 million people have disabling hearing loss, projected to reach 900 million by 2050
In the U.S., 0.2% of adults (about 500,000) are profoundly deaf
Approximately 48 million Americans report some degree of hearing loss
Deafness affects 1 in 1,000 children born in developed countries
In low- and middle-income countries, 9 out of 10 children with hearing loss receive no rehabilitation
U.S. veterans have a 30% higher prevalence of hearing loss than civilians
By age 65, one in three adults has some hearing loss, rising to one in two by age 75
Worldwide, unaddressed hearing loss costs $980 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity
In the UK, 1 in 8 people (12 million) have hearing loss
90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents
Bilateral severe or profound hearing loss affects 34 per 1,000 people globally
In India, 63 million people have hearing loss
African Americans have a 1.5 times higher risk of hearing loss than whites
Noise-induced hearing loss affects 16% of U.S. adults
In Australia, 1 in 6 people (3.6 million) have hearing loss
Congenital hearing loss occurs in 1-3 per 1,000 live births worldwide
Men are 1.5 times more likely to have hearing loss than women
In China, over 27.8 million people aged 60+ have hearing impairment
Hearing loss prevalence doubles every decade after age 50
In the EU, 71 million people have hearing loss
1.5 million U.S. children under 18 have hearing loss
Ototoxic drugs contribute to 10-15% of acquired hearing loss cases
In Brazil, 10.7 million people have disabling hearing loss
Hearing loss is the 5th leading cause of years lived with disability globally
In South Africa, 4.9 million adults have mild or worse hearing loss
Usher syndrome, causing deafblindness, affects 4-17 per 100,000
In Japan, 13.5% of population over 65 has hearing loss
Globally, 1.1 billion young people at risk of hearing loss from leisure noise
In Canada, 22% of adults (6 million) have mild hearing loss or worse

Prevalence and Demographics Interpretation

While the world grows louder by the minute, these stark statistics are a silent siren call, reminding us that hearing loss is not a solitary whisper but a global crescendo affecting hundreds of millions with profound personal and societal costs.

Social and Cultural

Deaf community cohesion supports 15% higher job networks
95% of deaf marry other deaf or hard-of-hearing
ASL users number 500,000 in U.S.
Deaf clubs have declined 70% since 1980s
80% of deaf identify with Deaf culture
Suicide ideation in deaf youth is 2x higher than hearing
Deaf immigrants face 40% higher isolation rates
Sign language poetry festivals attract 10,000 annually worldwide
60% of deaf prefer deaf schools for social development
Deaf theater productions reach 50,000 viewers yearly in U.S.
Bullying affects 70% of deaf children vs. 50% hearing
Deaf pride events like Deaflympics have 5,000 athletes
90% of deaf use social media daily for community
Intermarriage with hearing reduces cultural transmission by 50%
Deaf religious groups number 200+ congregations in U.S.
Mental health access for deaf is 50% lower
Deaf video content on YouTube exceeds 1 million subscribers for top channels
Family sign language use correlates with 30% better mental health
Deaf advocacy groups influence 20+ laws yearly
75% of deaf report stigma as major barrier
Deaf art exhibitions feature 1,000+ works annually
Social isolation in deaf elderly is 3x higher
Deaf sports leagues have 20,000 members globally
Captioned media increases deaf participation by 40%
Deaf parenting classes reach 5,000 families yearly
Cultural Deaf identity strengthens resilience by 25%
Online deaf forums have 100,000+ active users

Social and Cultural Interpretation

The Deaf community thrives with vibrant culture and impressive resilience, yet their triumphs in arts, sports, and online connection starkly contrast the systemic neglect that fuels their higher rates of isolation, mental health crises, and bullying, revealing a world that still hasn't fully learned to listen.

Sources & References

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