Hearing health moves out of the clinic, as consumer tech redefines access and awareness

New findings from Futuresource Consulting’s Hearing Health Market Outlook report shows a global market being reshaped by consumer hearables, software-led features and inclusive connectivity standards. In 2026, hearing support is becoming part of daily listening, rather than a late-stage intervention.

“Hearing health is being drawn into everyday life by consumer technology,” says Saranraj Mathivanan, Senior Market Analyst at Futuresource Consulting. “It’s not being pushed there by regulation or medicine, and that shift is changing who engages. It’s also altering how early they engage, and what they expect from their hearing solutions.”

Rather than replacing clinical hearing aids, consumer devices are creating awareness and expanding the market. Futuresource expects hearables with hearing-health functionality to have reached 54 million units in 2025, once all the numbers are in. The firm’s forecasts also show this will rise to 61 million units in 2026, as earbuds and headphones increasingly deliver conversation enhancement, exposure management and personalised sound.

From hearing health awareness to action
This growth is underpinned by a broader shift in consumer behaviour. Safe listening, hearing protection and sound clarity are becoming more of a priority earlier in life, driven by rising everyday noise exposure and a growing awareness of long-term hearing risk.

Consumer tech brands are responding by embedding features such as volume monitoring, adaptive sound processing and hearing checks directly into mass-market devices. This is also helping to normalise the conversation, reduce stigma and encourage earlier engagement. “We had expected open-ear designs to emerge in the OTC hearing aid space, and we did see an OTC product with an open-ear design at CES” added Mathivanan. 

Connectivity promotes inclusion and accessibility
Beyond devices, Futuresource points to the expanding role of Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast in modernising assistive listening. As venues begin to adopt broadcast audio more widely, accessibility is shifting from specialist infrastructure to shared, scalable platforms, which opens the door to more consistent experiences in public spaces.

While hearables penetration is accelerating, the outlook for hearing aids is more measured. Futuresource expects short-term softness in demand as consumers delay high-value purchases, followed by renewed growth as demographic pressures reassert themselves. Meanwhile, OTC devices and PSAPs face increasing pressure to differentiate as consumer expectations rise.

“The opportunity isn’t a battle between the categories,” says Mathivanan. “It’s about how clinical solutions, consumer devices and enabling technologies connect. The brands that succeed will be those that understand where they sit in that ecosystem, and how to add value beyond amplification alone.”

About Futuresource and this report

Futuresource Consulting provides the insights that power the world’s leading technology and media companies. For more than 30 years the firm has combined rigorous data, sector expertise and a forward-looking view of market change. Its syndicated research, consulting services and industry partnerships span consumer electronics, entertainment, Pro AV, education and emerging technologies.

The new Hearing Health Market Outlook report pulls together consumer behaviour, technology evolution and market dynamics across hearing aids, OTC devices, PSAPs and consumer hearables, supported by primary research conducted throughout 2025.

For brands operating across audio, healthcare, connectivity or enabling technologies, it provides a framework for understanding how hearing health is being reshaped.

www.futuresource-consulting.com

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Press Contact: Nicola Finn, Marketing Manager, Futuresource Consulting, nicola.finn@futuresource-hq.com