Life-Cycle Trends in Registered Hearing-Impaired Individuals in South Korea: A 10-Year National Analysis (2015~2024)

Purpose This study examined demographic transitions within South Korea’s officially registered hearing-impaired population over a 10-year period (2015~2024), focusing on distinct life-cycle stages. The primary aim was to delineate the influence of structural aging and policy shifts on registration dynamics, providing empirical evidence for tailored audiological and national health policy development. Methods A retrospective demographic analysis was conducted using nationally registered disability data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Statistical Information Service. Variables included age, sex, and severity of disability, categorized as severe or non-severe. Life-cycle stages were classified as infants (0~4 years), children/adolescents (5~19 years), young adults (20~34 years), middle-aged adults (35~64 years), and older adults (≥65 years). Trends were analyzed using registration counts and standardized rates per 100,000 population. Results The number of registered individuals surged by 76.6% (250,334 to 442,034) between 2015 and 2024. This growth was structurally female-driven (85.5% increase) and overwhelmingly concentrated in the non-severe category, which rose from 62.8% to 81.4%. The population exhibited marked geriatrification, with the older adult cohort increasing from 64.7% to 83.4% of all registrants. The middle-aged cohort’s proportion sharply declined from 30.1% to 14.3%. While the overall registration rate increased by 74%, the rate for Infants rose by 50%, but the rate for middle-aged adults decreased by 18%. Crucially, the rate for older adults showed an extreme relative increase of 1,313% compared to the middle-aged group, indicating profound diagnostic and registration delay in the working-age population. Conclusion Hearing disability patterns in South Korea are shaped by aging, policy interventions, and life-cycle factors. Targeted strategies are needed, including early detection in infants, prevention in working-age adults, and comprehensive rehabilitation for older adults. Findings provide essential evidence to guide hearing health policy and resource allocation in aging societies.