What is it?

World Hearing Day (WHD) is observed on 3 March each year to raise awareness about how to prevent deafness and hearing loss, and promote ear and hearing care worldwide. Each year,  WHO prepares the theme and develops evidence-based advocacy materials, including brochures, flyers, posters, banners, infographics, and presentations, among others. These materials are shared with partners in government and civil society worldwide, as well as with WHO regional and country offices. At its headquarters in Geneva, WHO organizes an annual WHD event. In recent years, an increasing number of Member States and other partner agencies have joined WHD by hosting a range of activities and events in their countries. WHO invites every year all stakeholders to join this global initiative. 

Would you like to know how WHD has made significant strides in its mission throughout the years?

Let's examine this chronological journey, where key developments and successes of WHD unfold before us. From its initial steps to its worldwide reach, this sequence highlights the events that have shaped its significance, marked its progress, and motivated societies globally to prioritise hearing health.

Message from WHO DG Dr Tedros on WHD 2025

Each year, on WHD, which coincides with his birthday, WHO Director‑General Dr Tedros delivers a special message:

"We can protect our hearing through adopting safe listening practices and checking our hearing regularly".

On WHD, Dr Tedros Organization called on all governments to ensure access to timely rehabilitation and affordable hearing devices for everyone in need. You can watch the video below to listen to his message.

Voices of changed mindsets

Behind every statistic is a story. The following real-life stories from Uganda, Bangladesh, and the Philippines highlight the transformative impact of WHD, showing how awareness leads to action, and action leads to lasting change in ear and hearing health.

Empowered to protect his hearing – Uganda 

Tom, a 29-year-old boda-boda (motorcycle taxi) rider from Kizungu, attended a WHD session on noise-induced hearing loss. Inspired by the discussion, he visited Nyamityobora Health Centre for a check-up. Early signs of hearing damage, such as tinnitus and muffled hearing, were identified during his check-up. Reflecting on his daily habits, including excessive honking and long hours in noisy settings, Tom made proactive changes. He now reduces speaker volume, honks only when necessary, and shares hearing health tips with fellow riders. Tom’s story shows how community-level awareness can shift mindsets, empower individuals to protect their hearing, and change behaviour in everyday environments. 

Early action, lasting impact: Ashik’s journey – Bangladesh 

During a WHD screening, 16-year-old Ashik Alam was diagnosed with Otitis Media with Effusion and a tympanic membrane perforation—conditions that had long gone unnoticed. His teachers had observed him missing instructions, unaware he was struggling to hear. He was referred for treatment and now receives regular follow-ups. Ashik and his family received counselling on ear care and were also provided with financial assistance to support his treatment. Today, he is recovering well. “I feel I am free now—I can hear the world better,” he says. His story demonstrates how early identification and timely action can restore not only hearing but also confidence and hope. 

A song of hope – The Philippines

Fourteen-year-old Jasper Arreza, living with Fanconi anemia—a rare condition marked by small stature, skin pigmentation, and progressive hearing loss—experienced a life-changing moment during a World Hearing Day 2025 event. He was identified with severe hearing loss, and Jasper became one of the first recipients of the newly launched Hearing Aid Bank. The moment his hearing aids were fitted, his face lit up. Without hesitation, he began singing his favourite song—bringing tears to everyone present. His story is a powerful reminder that WHD initiatives don’t just raise awareness—they transform lives in real, immediate, and joyful ways. 

Activities at WHO Headquarters

WHO carried out a range of activities to mark WHD 2025, aimed at sharing information on the prevention, identification, and rehabilitation of hearing loss. Staff were encouraged to become ambassadors for ear and hearing health within their communities and to use the hearWHO app to check their own and their family’s hearing at least once a year. 

In collaboration with regional and country offices, WHO headquarters launched an engaging in-person and digital campaign. Key highlights included a virtual reality experience and an information booth at the Eureka Innovation Hub, a hearing care exhibition at the HQ WHO premises, and a live social media session focused on protecting hearing during gaming and music. The campaign also featured internal awareness efforts, such as posters, photo exhibits, screensavers, and digital displays across campus buildings, reinforcing WHO’s commitment to making ear and hearing care a reality for all. 

Activities in WHO Regions

On World Hearing Day 2025, WHO Regional Offices engaged partners and communities to promote understanding of hearing impairment, combat discrimination, and emphasize ear and hearing health priorities in national healthcare programmes. Here are notable initiatives implemented across regions:

Africa: Held a regional webinar to spotlight hearing loss burden, stigma, and local advocacy initiatives.

Europe: Promoted toolkits, featured a personal story, and policy briefings including an EU Parliament event and regional technical webinar. 

South East Asia: Organized a regional webinar to discuss the status of hearing care, stigma, and integration into broader health systems. 

Western Pacific: Two activities were held with the to promote the value of hearing care measures for everyone. Included an hearing and ear assessment and a webinar on noise exposure and health. An awareness video  about Otitis Media was disseminated.

Press releases in WHO Regions

You can read here the WHD 2025 press releases in the different regions: WHO AFRO, WHO EMRO, WHO Europe, WHO HQ and WHO SEARO.

WHO Country Offices

WHO Country Offices played a crucial role in celebrating WHD by tailoring global messaging to regional needs and involving their communities in innovative ways. Through various channels like radio, social media outreach, participatory events and educational resources, these initiatives sought to increase understanding of ear and hearing health across diverse environments. Here are some examples of initiatives coordinated by WHO Country Offices:

Malaysia: Featured a radio interview with Dr Natalia Wroblewska, launched a popular quiz, and shared ear care tips in Bahasa Malaysia. 

Armenia: Promoted ear care through social media posts and conducted a TV segment on safe listening. 

Georgia: Distributed 600 WHO posters in schools and ran digital campaigns alongside awareness events for families using hearing devices. 

WHD 2025 impact

Every year, the WHD workstream closely monitors the campaign’s global impact, and the results for 2025 are remarkable. Its powerful theme struck a chord in over 100 countries and inspired more than 700 activities worldwide. Campaign materials were shared in 44 languages, including four versions for users of sign language. The Small grants programme this year was competitive. A panel of 38 experts reviewed 392 submissions and carried out 1,200 evaluations. Ultimately, 30 grants, each worth $800, were allocated to various local initiatives.

Big confratulations to the WHD workstream especially to the Co-Chairs Snigdha Sarkar and Mauro Menzietti!

WHD – from an idea to reality and the research to go with it

From it’s inception, the WHD has through international efforts, sought to highlight ear and hearing care. Moreover, it has served as a stimulus for activities related to the promotion of ear and hearing care. From the early days when academic journals were publishing about this nascent idea as was published in this piece in 2017 in the International Journal of Audiology, there is also research that shows the outcomes and benefits of WHD activities such as this study from Malaysia. These articles remind us of our evidence based practice and highlights the value of making the invisible, visible.

Cognitive impairment and hearing loss in Colombian aged population

This research presents key findings on the relationship between cognitive decline and hearing deficits in Colombia, enabling policymakers and healthcare leaders to make informed, evidence-based decisions regarding public health strategies and budget allocation.

WHO guidance aims to increase access to hearing aids worldwide

This discussion article provides an overview of limitations in the ear and hearing care workforce, the relevance of task sharing to ear and hearing care, and a new, evidence-based WHO technical resource aimed at improving access to hearing aids worldwide.

WHO set to launch a set of evidence-based interventions for ear and hearing care

This protocol article describes the methodology that guides the development of the package of ear and hearing care interventions (PEHCI), led by the WHO.

WHD 2025 captured global media attention. Here are some highlights from international press coverage.

"Take the steps necessary to discover your hearing baseline with a visit to a licensed Hearing Aid Specialist to empower yourself and make hearing care a reality for all. WHD provides a tremendous opportunity for all hearing healthcare professionals to make a difference, change mindsets".International Hearing Society President Michael Andreozzi said.

Rwanda looks to quadruple number of specialized ear doctors

"The scarcity of otolaryngologists, also known as ear, nose, and throat (ENT) specialists, is a major concern across the country, echoed Dr. Jean d'Amour Byiringiro, one of the country’s few specialists in otorhinolaryngology who is based at Ruhengeri Referral Hospital."

The World Health Organization is organizing a virtual focus group discussion to explore ways to enhance the reach and impact of WHD.

We invite World Hearing Forum members to share ideas, reflections, and creative approaches that can help strengthen this global advocacy effort.

If you are interested in joining this session, please submit your expression of interest by 10 July 2025 through this link. Let’s work together to make WHD even more impactful and inclusive.

World Hearing Forum (WHF) organised a members' web meeting on June 04, 2025. The forum has more than 200 members representing various types of organizations, including member states, intergovernmental organisations, academic institutions, non-governmental organisations and private sector entities.   

The meeting highlighted the recent resolution on “Primary prevention and integrated care for sensory impairments, including vision impairment and hearing loss, across the life course”, approved by EB156(21) during the seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. It underscored the role of WHF in leading a global advocacy initiative- to promote equitable access to ear and hearing care at this crucial juncture. The meeting was organised to welcome new members into the forum, strengthen communication among them, share updates on ongoing activities and plans, and gather ideas and insights to shape the Forum’s future initiatives. The meeting was attended by over 100 members from 22 countries from all six regions of the World Health Organisation. 

We want to give a warm welcome to our new members: FCEI DHH International through Hospital of St. John of God, Linz, (Austria), Universidade de São Paulo through Centro de Pesquisas Audiológicas (CPA), (Brazil), Université de Montréal through School of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, (Canada), ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, (Switzerland), International Medical Crisis Response Alliance (IMCRA), (USA) and National Center for Rehabilitative Auditory Research (NCRAR),(USA).

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