Beyond the Clinic: How Audio Innovation is Mainstreaming Hearing Health

This week, we look at the shifting dynamics of hearing health as over-the-counter (OTC) and hearing-capable TWS devices begin to complement traditional clinical devices.

While medical hearing aids remain essential for severe hearing needs, the entrance of consumer brands is creating a more accessible pathway for the millions currently underserved by the traditional market. 

As always, this newsletter is designed to be a light, easy read on this week’s topic. For deeper insight into individual markets, we cover 200+ equipment markets on our market intelligence platform, dataportl.

The hearing assistance market reached a major milestone in 2025, with nearly 30 million total units shipped according to dataportl. This sector, which includes medical hearing aids, OTC devices, and personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), is projected to maintain a steady CAGR of approximately 4% over the next five years.

While traditional medical hearing aids still command the majority of this volume, the last five years have seen explosive growth in the OTC segment and among specialized consumer TWS devices that integrate hearing assistance. This acceleration is driven by regulatory shifts and a growing demand for accessible hearing health, effectively lowering price barriers for first-time users. 

A massive gap still exists between those who need hearing support and those who seek it. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that while over 400 million people worldwide could benefit from hearing aids, less than 20% actually receive them. Medical hearing aids remain the gold standard for clinical care, yet they continue to face significant hurdles in adoption, specifically due to high costs, restricted access to specialists, and persistent social stigma. According to the WHO’s latest Deafness and hearing loss factsheet, this unaddressed hearing loss constitutes a global economic crisis, costing nearly US$1 trillion annually in lost productivity and healthcare expenses. 

In response to these specific barriers, consumers are increasingly bypassing traditional clinical settings for the convenience of OTC and TWS devices. Rather than waiting for late-stage intervention, many are turning to familiar earbuds that offer conversation enhancement and noise management as integrated features of their everyday audio gear. This shift is fueled by a preference for versatile, multi-purpose devices that normalize hearing assistance, effectively blending medical necessity with the mass-market appeal of modern wearables. 

This article is based on dataportl’s ongoing tracking of global device and equipment markets. dataportl provides structured visibility across 200+ markets, helping teams understand where demand is forming, how it’s changing, and which players are active in each vertical.

For teams that need to stay close to how demand is shifting across multiple markets, dataportl acts as a single reference point for ongoing analysis and planning.

With that, back to the article.

The supplier landscape is currently divided into two different groups: a small number of medical companies and a wide variety of consumer brands.

The clinical space remains dominated by the "Top 5" leaders: Sonova, GN ReSound (Jabra), Demant, WS Audiology, and Starkey. Meanwhile, OTC disruptors like Audicus, Audien Hearing, Bose, Eargo, Jabra, Go Hearing, Lexie, Lucid Hearing, MDHearing, and Sony are capitalizing on regulatory shifts to sell directly to consumers.

With over 300 brands identified by dataportl in the TWS space, competition for the "mild-to-moderate" segment is forcing traditional makers to innovate at a much faster pace. (Refer to last week’s newsletter for more on the TWS market).

For semiconductor and product marketing professionals, the hearing assistance market represents a high-value transition from niche medical hardware to a diverse health-tech ecosystem. Success in this segment will no longer depend solely on clinical acoustics, but on the ability to deliver health-grade sensor integration, ultra-low-power connectivity, and AI-driven personalization that bridges the gap between a consumer gadget and a medical necessity.

The future of hearing is no longer just about volume, but about the intelligent integration of audio into the broader "quantified self" movement.

This market forms part one of dataportl’s 200+ device coverage. Displayed on our dashboard and used by teams to track how demand evolves over time, where volume is concentrating by region, and which brands/OEMs are driving scale. Market Data. Made Simple.