Hearing aids demand landscape

The global market for hearing aids has demonstrated consistent growth in recent years, driven by demographic shifts, technological advancements and increasing awareness of hearing health [2]. In 2024, the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association reported a 7.7 per cent increase in global hearing aid sales by the world’s largest hearing instrument manufacturers, bringing the total to 21.8 million units in 2023. This follows a pattern of overall growth in global unit sales (Figure 1) [10]. One should note that the 2020 decline in sales was predominantly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic.

1.It does not assess the provision of the hearing aid fittings and services being provided, nor does it consider essential factors such as access to repair, maintenance and spare parts, all vital for ensuring successful outcomes from hearing aids fittings. Readers must reference this report along with WHO’s guidance on hearing aid service delivery approaches for low- and middle-income settings. Additionally, the report does not further segment demand into adult and paediatric hearing aids. ↩︎

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Figure 1: Global Hearing Aid Unit Sales and annual growth (2018-2023)

Line graph

Image Description

Line graph showing units sold (in millions) from 2018 to 2023. The vertical axis ranges from 12 to 24 million units. The horizontal axis lists the years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

- In 2018, about 16 million units were sold, with a +6.6% increase from the previous year.

- In 2019, sales rose to around 17 million units, a +6.4% increase.

- In 2020, sales dropped sharply to about 14 million units, a -17.2% decrease.

- In 2021, sales rebounded to about 19 million units, a +37.0% increase.

- In 2022, sales increased to about 20 million units, a +4.7% rise.

- In 2023, sales reached about 22 million units, a +7.7% increase.

The graph shows a dip in 2020, followed by a strong recovery and steady growth through 2023.

Despite global growth, demand for hearing aids remains low in LMICs. The WHO estimates that coverage in these regions is less than 3 per cent [11]. This low coverage is in part attributed to the lack of government provision or insurance coverage. Relatively few non-profit organizations are active in this space. Corporate foundations aim to bridge this gap. Mayflower Medical Outreach’s International Humanitarian Hearing Aid Purchasing Programme (IHHAPP) and UNICEF have negotiated more affordable prices and offer procurement services to countries and development organizations respectively.

The hearing aid market in LMICs is driven by a small number of NGOs and corporate foundations and supported by global procurement services such as UNICEF and the IHHAPP. Overall, hearing aid market demand in LMICs is significantly insufficient compared to need. For approximately 400 million people in LMICs who could benefit from hearing aids, major NGOs, corporate foundations, global procurement services and surveyed governments provide fewer than 50,000 units annually.

Only one third of surveyed governments, such as South Africa, procure and provide hearing aids (≈18,000 annually). NGOs account for around 10 per cent of the served demand, while corporate foundations contribute 15 per cent and global procurement services around 60 per cent. The remainder is met through scattered, small-scale government procurement or donations.

NGO market

Few NGOs are active in hearing health and NGO procurement for hearing aids is low, estimated at approximately 5,000 units per year and declining due to reduced funding. CBM is the largest NGO buyer. NGOs have adopted WHO guidelines and procure digital Behind the Ear (BTE) hearing aids. Product selection is informed by WHO’s

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recommendations for hearing aids specifications and quality [12], [13], [14]. Optimal quality at an affordable price, and prior experience with the supplier’s procurement capabilities and reliability are critical factors in supplier and product selection by NGOs.

Table 2: NGOs providing hearing aids to LMICs

Organization Christian Blind Mission
About International Christian Development Organization active in 40 countries
Volumes (units)
  • 2021: 2,597
  • 2022: 2,444
  • 2023: 1,074
Specifications
  • Digital BTE hearing aids
Suppliers
  • Via World Wide Hearing
  • ALPS
  • Phonak
Pricing
  • US$98 to US$350
Organization World Wide Hearing
About Non-profit active in Guatemala, the Philippines, Peru and Zimbabwe.
Volumes (units)
  • 2022: 2,500
  • 2023: 3,800
  • 2025 target: 5,000
Specifications
  • Digital BTE hearing aids with at least 4 channels, robust (nano- coated chip), durable
Suppliers
  • Access
  • ALPS
  • Phonak
Pricing NA - varies by region
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Corporate foundations

Corporate foundations are important providers in LMICs. Based on available info, Hear the World Foundation and Starkey Foundation are the two largest donors of hearing aids. Hear the World Foundation donated more than 4,000 units in 2023. 2

Table 3: Corporate foundations providing hearing aids in LMICs

Organization Hear the World Foundation
About Non-profit foundation founded by Sonova Group, dedicated to improving access to hearing care for children in LMICs; currently active across 13 countries in LATAM, EMEA and APAC
Volumes (units)
  • 2021: 2,260
  • 2022: 2,881
  • 2023: 4,067
Specifications • Digital BTE programmable hearing aids
Suppliers • Sonova Group’s Products- Phonak, Hanston, Unitron
Pricing NA
Organization Starkey Hearing Foundation
About Corporate Foundation linked to Starkey Hearing; active in over 100 countries
Volumes (units) NA
Specifications • Digital BTE hearing aids tailored to local care professionals
Suppliers • Starkey
Pricing NA

Global Procurement Services

UNICEF and IHHAPP offer procurement services for hearing aids for governments/UN agencies and NGOs respectively. Based on available information, between 15,000 – 20,000 hearing aids have been purchased through UNICEF procurement services since 2022. Demand for hearing aids through IHHAPP is low and has dropped since COVID.

2.Data from the Starkey Foundation were unavailable when the report was published. ↩︎

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Table 4: Global procurement services providing hearing aids in LMICs

Organization IHHAPP
About Hearing Aids Purchasing programme managed by Mayflower Medical Outreach
Volumes (units)
  • To-date: 5,000
  • 2022: 150
  • 2023: 205
  • 2024: 100 (until August)
Specifications • Digital BTE hearing aids, adjustable via screw set potentiometers or software-based
Suppliers
  • Alps
  • Starkey
  • Sound Worldwide Solutions
Pricing • US$85 to US$135
Organization UNICEF Supply Division
About UNICEF’s procurement services can be accessed by governments and UN agencies
Volumes (units) • Since 2022: 15,000-20,000
Specifications • Digital BTE pre-programmed and programmed hearing aids
Suppliers
  • Starkey
  • GN Resound
  • WS Audiology
Pricing • US$56 to US$162

Government market

Based on limited data collection, only 4 out of 12 countries (33 per cent) procure hearing aids, primarily upper-middle-income countries.

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Examples of governments procuring hearing aids:

China The procurement of hearing aids is not yet fully centralized through national bulk purchasing programmes, but are largely procured or subsidized through various channels, including local Disabled Persons' Federations of each province or cities, or the Audiology Development Foundation of China under the National Health Commission.
Georgia Hearing aids are procured by the government through open tenders. The most recent national tender on supply and distribution of hearing aids was released in March 2022. Based on WHO’s ATA-C report, 1,060 hearing aids for adults and 100 hearing aids for children were procured through the government tender and supplied to beneficiaries.
South Africa The most recent transversal tender was released in October 2023 for supply and delivery of hearing aids and implantable hearing devices. This tender covers a period of 36 months. South Africa provided on average 18,000 hearing aids annually between 2017 and 2020.

Governments subsidizing hearing aids:

Indonesia The government supports hearing aids through the national insurance scheme. It covers one hearing aid up to IDR1.1 million (approximately US$71) via certified sellers upon prescription for 5 years. Based on WHO’s ATA-C report, the national health insurance subsidized 7,690 hearing aids in 2018.