Hearing aids

Main article: Hearing

2025: Flexible brainstem implant introduced that returns hearing

Scientists at the Lausanne Federal Polytechnic School have developed an innovative flexible neuroimplant to restore auditory function, which is installed directly in the brain stem and can partially replace hearing in patients with severe disorders. This became known in April 2025. The device is a soft array of microscopic platinum electrodes encased in a silicone shell a fraction of a millimeter thick that closely follows the anatomical shape of the brainstem. The technology has been successfully tested on laboratory macaques and demonstrated no side effects when stimulating auditory centers. Read more here.

2024

Global Hearing Aid Market Size Reaches $14 Billion

At the end of 2024, sales of hearing aids on a global scale reached $13.97 billion. The North American region accounted for almost 40% of global spending. This is stated in the Fortune Business Insights review published on July 22, 2025.

One of the key drivers of the analytics market is the increasing prevalence of partial and total hearing loss, especially among older adults. The situation is aggravated by the aging population. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), published in February 2025, more than 5% of the world's population, or 430 million people (including 34 million children), need rehabilitation assistance in connection with disabling hearing loss. Such a pathology refers to hearing loss exceeding 35 decibels (in the ear hearing better). Almost 80% of people with this degree of hearing loss live in low- and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hearing loss increases with age, with more than 25% of people over the age of 60 experiencing disabling hearing loss. According to forecasts, by 2050, about 2.5 billion people will suffer from hearing loss to one degree or another, and more than 700 million of them will require rehabilitation of auditory function.

It is estimated that the unresolved problem of hearing loss costs the global economy almost $1 trillion annually. Hearing loss not only impairs a person's quality of life, but also leads to a loss of their labor productivity. Against this background, sales of hearing aids and cochlear implants are growing - medical devices that act directly on the auditory nerve and allow compensating for hearing loss in some patients with a pronounced or severe degree of sensorineural (sensorineural) hearing loss.

Technological advances, including the introduction of artificial intelligence, have a positive impact on the market. Modern hearing aids offer functions such as pairing with a smartphone via Bluetooth, noise cancellation, translating from one language to another in real time, the ability to flexibly adjust parameters, etc. AI algorithms help to increase the clarity of speech, as well as make the perception of sounds more natural and comfortable. AI analyzes the acoustic picture in real time and, based on the data obtained, decides which sounds need to be amplified and which should be suppressed.

There is a trend towards the choice of over-the-counter hearing aids, which are more affordable in terms of cost compared to devices sold as prescribed by a doctor. Leading industry players are investing heavily in the development of advanced hearing aids, which also leads to market expansion.

Geographically, North America led in 2024 with a share of 38.2%, or $5.34 billion. The authors of the study consider the segments of hearing aids and implants: the first type of devices accounted for the lion's share of sales - more than 75%. Among consumers, digital products are most in demand, but there is also a demand for analog solutions. Globally, significant players are named:

• Starkey Laboratories;
• WS Audiology;
• GN Store Nord A/S;
• Cochlear;
• Rion;
• Sonova;
• Demant A/S;
• Med-El.

In 2025, the hearing aid market size is expected to reach $15.11 billion. Fortune Business Insights analysts believe that in the future, the CAGR will be 10.1%. Thus, by 2032, sales may increase to about $29.6 billion.^[1]

The world's first hearing AI devices with a chip that is 53 times more powerful than analogues have been released

On August 6, 2024, the Swiss company Sonova introduced the Phonak Audeo Sphere Infinio hearing aid, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to process sound in real time. This, it is claimed, significantly increases the clarity and intelligibility of speech in a noisy environment. Read more here

How to choose the right hearing aid

The selection of hearing aids is a more complicated process than it might seem at first glance. It is on the competent selection of the device that its effectiveness depends. Therefore, choosing hearing aids is important together with a specialist - a surdologist or audiologist. There are several criteria for selecting suitable sets. Read more about this in the article.

Ear implant released for hearing return

In early July 2024, a group of researchers from the United States developed a hearing return microphone implanted in the ear that could compete with traditional cochlear implants. Read more here.

2022: Audio giant Bose unveils self-adjusting hearing aids

Lexie Hearing and Bose announced on July 27, 2022, a collaboration to introduce the Bose self-adjusting hearing aid technology into the Lexie product line. Read more here.

2022: Regular headphones start replacing hearing aids

On November 15, 2022, the results of a study were released, according to which the all-wireless headphones (TWS) of the Apple AirPods family could become an alternative to hearing aids for people with mild to moderate hearing impairment.

For the study, AirPods 2 and AirPods Pro models worth about $130 and $250, respectively, were selected, as well as specialized hearing aids for $1,500 and $10,000 (related to the premium level). The devices were tested by 21 people (9 men and 12 women) with various hearing impairments and an average age of 42.9 years. The researchers read out short sentences and asked the participants in the experiment to repeat them verbatim.

Headphones have begun to replace hearing aids

According to tests, AirPods Pro meet four out of five standards for personal audio amplification products and are comparable to hearing aids in terms of speech perception in a quiet environment. The AirPods Pro was comparable to conventional hearing aids in a quiet environment and slightly inferior to specialized premium devices. AirPods 2 headphones do not work as efficiently, but can still help patients hear speech more clearly. In a noisy environment, the AirPods Pro worked at the premium hearing aid level, but only when the noise came from the side. In the case of frontal noise, neither AirPods Pro nor AirPods 2 were able to improve the subjects' hearing.

The researchers concluded that fully wireless headphones under certain conditions can become a much more affordable alternative to hearing aids, although they are not a full-fledged replacement for specialized devices appointed by doctors. Nevertheless, scientists believe that further technological progress may lead to the fact that wireless headphones can well replace hearing aids of a certain price range.^[2]

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