I-MAG STS
2012
We are informed by our friends at Galluadet there is no legal
definition of deafness as there is for blindness, so 'deaf' and
'deafness' can have a variety of meanings. There are at least three
possible descriptions:
Deaf, both ears 0.18%
Cannot
hear or understand any speech 0.23%
At best, can hear or understand
words shouted in the better ear 0.49%
Wikipedia estimates that,
worldwide, 1 in 1000 people are deaf. (0.1%)
Considering the
world population
was 6.6 billion,
0.10% = 6.6 million
0.18% = 11.9
million
0.23% = 15.2 million
0.49% = 32.3 million
So,
depending on the accuracy of the statistics, and how you define
deafness, the answer could be anywhere between 6 million and 40
million. With all due respect, since we often write or edit Wikipedia
articles, the Wikipedia estimate is rubbish.