What percentage wears glasses?
In 2022, 62 percent of the Dutch population aged 4 years and older wore glasses to help them see better. Twelve percent wore contact lenses, some of them alternating these with glasses. Six percent of the population used other optical aids, again some of them in combination with glasses or contact lenses. More older than younger people need visual aids to see properly.
The older people are, the more likely they are to need an optical aid.noot1 From age 55 years upwards, more than 90 percent of people need to wear glasses or use another optical aid to help with their sight. For children aged 4 to 11 years this is 14 percent. More people wear glasses as they grow older. Contact lenses are mainly worn by people aged 16 to 64 years.
More women than men wear contact lenses
More women than men said they sometimes used an optical aid. Sixty-six percent of women, for example, wore glasses some of the time, compared with 57 percent of men. Fifteen percent of women reported wearing contact lenses, compared with 10 percent of men.
More men use a hearing device
More men on the other hand used aids to hear better.noot2 Three percent of men said they sometimes used an amplifier for their phones or television, for example, compared with 2 percent of women. There are no differences in the use of hearing aids between men and women (both around 5 percent).
| Hulpmiddel | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Optical aids | 60.5 | 69.5 |
| Glasses | 57.2 | 66.0 |
| Contact lenses | 10.1 | 14.8 |
| Other optical aids | 6.4 | 6.5 |
| . | . | |
| Hearing aids | 6.8 | 5.5 |
| Hearing aid | 5.3 | 4.7 |
| Hearing amplifier | 2.8 | 2.0 |
Three in ten over-75s use hearing aid
In the age group 75 years or older, 30 percent of people reported sometimes using an aid to help them hear better. Nine percent said they used a hearing amplifier, to use their phones and watch TV for example, while 28 percent of over-75s used a hearing aid on and off.
| leeftijd | Hearing aid | Hearing amplifier |
|---|---|---|
| 4-11 yrs | 0.3 | 0.6 |
| 12-15 yrs | 1.0 | 3.6 |
| 16-19 yrs | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| 20-29 yrs | 0.7 | 1.4 |
| 30-39 yrs | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| 40-49 yrs | 0.6 | 1.0 |
| 50-54 yrs | 1.6 | 1.1 |
| 55-64 yrs | 4.2 | 1.5 |
| 65-74 yrs | 11.6 | 4.6 |
| 75 yrs and over | 28.1 | 8.6 |
More people use optical and hearing aids than in 2014
In 2014, 62 percent of the population used an optical aid now and again. In 2022 this had risen to 65 percent. More people wore glasses: 60 percent in 2014 versus 62 percent in 2022.
Six percent of the population in 2022 said they sometimes used a device to improve their hearing. In 2014 this was 4 percent. Two percent of the population said they sometimes used a hearing amplifier for their phones or to watch television in 2022, up from less than 1 percent in 2014.
Source
StatLine – Health and health care; personal characteristics
Relevant link
Survey description – Health Survey as of 2014
The questions
- What keeps people from eating healthier?
- What is working people’s income?
- How much of the energy we consume is renewable?
- What percentage wears glasses?
- How are the dragonflies and butterflies doing?
- How many housing units are there?
- How does home burglary affect people?
- In what occupations do most people work from home?
- How much more expensive did food get?
- How many babies were born to unmarried mothers?
- From which countries do most immigrants come?
- How many centenarians are there?
- How do fathers and mothers divide work and care?
- How many cars are there?
- How much milk does a cow produce?
- What portion of income went to food in 1936?
- How many pigs were there in 1910?
- How many cattle and pigs in the Netherlands?
- What do we import from China?
- What type of shop is seen less and less?
- How many nights are spent in Dutch hotels?
- How often do older people have contact with neighbours?
- How many adults comply with the physical activity guidelines?
- Where do international students in the Netherlands come from?
- What are the major religions?
- How many litres of water do we use per day?
- How many millionaires in the Netherlands?
- How many inhabitants in the Netherlands??
- Where can we ride our bikes?
- At what age do workers retire?
- Which day has the most birthdays?
- How many people have a student debt?
- How does CBS handle your privacy?
Noten
Optical aids
Percentage of persons aged 4 years or older who answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child ever wear glasses?’, ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child ever wear contact lenses?’, or ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child ever use another optical or reading aid?’
For children younger than 12 years of age, the questions are answered by a parent/carer.
Hearing aids
Percentage of persons aged 4 years or older who answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child have a hearing aid?’ or ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child have a special device to amplify sound, for example of their phone or television?’ In 2018 the question was adjusted, and the data from then onwards refer to the percentage of persons aged 4 years or older who answered ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child ever use a hearing aid?’ or ‘Yes’ to the question ‘Do you/does your child ever use a special device to amplify sound, for example of their phone or television?’
For children younger than 12 years of age, the questions are answered by a parent/carer.