Access to audiological services and support for individuals with hearing loss varies widely across low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs). This study examines disparities in the availability of audiological services across World Bank income groups.
No actionable change for individual clinicians; findings document global inequity in hearing care infrastructure and are relevant for policy advocacy and workforce planning rather than day-to-day practice.
Quantifying service gaps across income levels provides the evidence base needed for global health organisations and policymakers to prioritise hearing care investment in underserved regions.
- 01Survey covered providers across 47 countries, capturing a broad global picture of hearing care.
- 02Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) showed significantly worse audiology infrastructure than high-income countries.
- 03Disparities spanned equipment availability, trained workforce, and service accessibility.
- 04Findings published in International Journal of Audiology add rigorous data to calls for global hearing care equity.
- 05Results can inform WHO and NGO resource-allocation priorities for hearing health.
Wide global disparities in audiological services and infrastructure exist between low- and middle-income countries and high-income countries.
studysupported- PMID
- 42421334
- DOI
- 10.1080/14992027.2026.2687005.
- Journal
- International Journal of Audiology
- Publication type
- research_article
- Evidence level
- 2b
- Population
- Hearing care providers across 47 countries, spanning low-, middle-, and high-income settings
- Intervention
- Cross-sectional provider survey on hearing care services and infrastructure
- Comparator
- High-income countries vs. low- and middle-income countries
Primary outcomes
Availability and quality of audiological services by country income level; Hearing care infrastructure disparities across regions