Hearing impairment in adults
Hearing loss is a significant public health concern and affects over nine million people in England. It is estimated that by 2035 the number of people with hearing loss will rise to around 13 million [1].
Data from NHS England's hearing loss data tool
Data from NHS England's hearing loss data tool provide estimated prevalence of hearing loss at local authority level.
- It is estimated that in 2025 245,743 adults aged 18 and over in the Lancashire-12 area will have hearing loss of 25 dBHL or more. This is projected to increase to 278,599 in 2035.
- Within the Lancashire-12 area, Fylde (31%) and Wyre (30%) have the highest estimated percentage of adults (aged 18 and over) with hearing loss.
The table below shows the estimated number of adults (aged 18 and over) with hearing loss of 25 dBHL or more (2025).
| Local authority | Estimated number | Prevalence (%) |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 22,903 | 21 |
| Blackpool | 27,426 | 25 |
| Burnley | 16,023 | 24 |
| Chorley | 24,312 | 25 |
| Fylde | 20,558 | 31 |
| Hyndburn | 14,757 | 24 |
| Lancaster | 28,213 | 24 |
| Pendle | 16,860 | 24 |
| Preston | 22,313 | 20 |
| Ribble Valley | 13,916 | 29 |
| Rossendale | 13,566 | 24 |
| South Ribble | 23,248 | 26 |
| West Lancashire | 24,140 | 26 |
| Wyre | 27,836 | 30 |
| Lancashire-12 area | 245,743 | 25 |
| England | 10,676,688 | 23 |
Source: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/joint-strategic-needs-assessment-toolkit/
Data from Projecting Adult Needs and Service Information (PANSI) and Projecting Older People Population Information (POPPI)
Data from PANSI and POPPI show that in 2025 an estimated 274,028 people (18+) in the Lancashire-12 area had some or severe hearing loss. This is predicted to rise to 336,929 by 2040, an increase of 23%.
[1] Source: https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-020-01945-6