Prevalence of hearing loss in the UK

Identification of hearing loss in babies and children

In the UK there has been substantial investment in screening and hearing technologies. In 2006 the Newborn Hearing Screening Programme (NHSP) was introduced on the premise that outcomes for deaf children could be improved by early identification of hearing loss and effective early intervention.[6],[7]

Since then, millions of babies have been screened for hearing loss at birth and for those that do not show a clear response in one or both ears, have been referred to a hearing specialist at an Audiology clinic. For babies identified as having hearing loss the local education services will arrange for a specialist support worker – this is usually a teacher of the deaf – to get in touch as soon as possible.

However, amplification alone does not allow for optimal spoken language development[8], nor does amplification alone support growth in other developmental areas such as social competence[9]. Following implantations of auditory devices, a period of habilitation will follow, where the child will learn to listen with the new devices. This process will differ depending on the needs of the children, as well as the resource and services in the area, for example it may include individual therapy by teachers of the deaf and speech and language therapists. 

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The number of children with hearing loss in the UK

Guidance on hearing loss, published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities in 2025, states that one to two babies in every 1,000[10] are born with a permanent hearing loss in one or both ears and we know from other research that around 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents[11].

It is known that the prevalence of permanent childhood hearing loss increases year on year until the age of 9 years.[12]

The number of children with permanent hearing loss, in the UK, under the age of five years has been estimated to be 6,400[13] - 7,200[14].