Update on the state of audiology in South Africa

Abstract

In 2006 the state of audiology in South Africa was reported in the International Journal of Audiology (Swanepoel 2006). Since this time, however, significant changes have occurred within the profession and within the socioeconomic landscape. The country’s population has grown rapidly, from 41.5 million people in 2002 to 60.6 million people in 2022 (Statistics South Africa [Stats SA], 2022) with a predominantly youthful population, with 34% falling between the ages of 15 and 34 (Stats SA, 2022) and only 9.2% 60 years and older. Despite a younger average population age, the country faces many environmental risks for hearing loss including poverty, with approximately 55.5% of the population living below the poverty line, along with a high prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS (World Bank Group 2020; Stats SA, 2020; Wandai et al. 2017). This letter provides an update on the current state of the audiology profession in South Africa since 2006, with a special focus on training, human resources, and service delivery. Finally, the authors provide a brief commentary on the future of the profession in South Africa.