Prevalence and Hearing Aid Adoption 

In China, 4.2% of the total population report hearing loss, with 5.2% among those aged 18 and older. However, hearing aid adoption remains low: just 9.3% of the hearing-impaired population use hearing aids, equating to 0.4% of the total population. Only 15% of hearing aid users have binaural fittings – a sharp decline from 35% in 2020. 

Path to Hearing Aid Adoption 

Only 31% of people with hearing loss speak to an ENT at a hospital. 70% of those consultations lead to a hearing aid recommendation, but actual adoption remains modest. A key bottleneck remains at follow-through – more recommendations, but not more action than in 2020. 

Testing and Diagnosis 

Only 14% of people had a hearing test in the last five years, with most conducted in hospitals or through community-based social activities. This marks a decline from 18% in 2020. 

Barriers to Adoption 

Key reasons for non-adoption include perceptions that hearing loss isn’t severe, discomfort, or lack of awareness that hearing aids do not restore normal hearing. Cost is also a concern. Very few hearing aids are received for free, and awareness of free programmes is extremely low. 

Use and Satisfaction 

• Average daily use is 6.7 hours 

• 95% of users are satisfied with their devices (up from 92% in 2020) 

• 97% say their hearing aids work as expected or better 

• 66% of hearing aids in use were acquired between 2021–2023 

• 43% of users are aware of their hearing aid brand  

Technology and Features 

• 16% use a hearing aid app, with 81% user satisfaction 

• 8% use Telecoil, mainly for phone calls 

• 2% have tried remote fitting, while 57% haven’t heard of it  

Impact of Hearing Aids 

Hearing aids have strong reported benefits: 

• 98% say their hearing aids improve their quality of life at least occasionally 

• 92% feel safer and more confident navigating city environments 

• Significant improvement is noted in self-confidence, social life, and mental health  

Social and Economic Benefits 

• All working hearing aid owners (100%) found their devices useful at work 

• Users report significantly lower rates of depression and better sleep quality than non-users with similar hearing loss 

• 63% of users wish they had adopted hearing aids sooner  

Motivations and Triggers 

Top drivers for adoption include: 

• Worsening hearing loss 

• Price awareness 

• Advice from ENTs, audiologists, or family for non-users, cost, social stigma, and scepticism remain strong deterrents. 

About the survey

ChinaTrak 2023 was conducted by Anovum on behalf of the European Hearing Instrument Manufacturers Association (EHIMA). The survey included a representative sample of 13,266 people across 14 cities, with 848 participants reporting hearing loss.

You can download the full report at: www.ehima.com/surveys