What Percentage Hearing Loss Do I Have? Understanding Hearing Loss Severity

One of the most common questions audiologists hear from patients after a hearing test is, “What percentage hearing loss do I have?” You may be surprised to learn that hearing loss is never actually calculated as a percentage, but is instead described in terms of severity.

The Audiogram Explained

To understand hearing loss severity, it helps to first understand how your hearing test results are graphed. This graph is called an audiogram, and an example can be seen below. Typically, red circles represent the right ear, and blue crosses represent the left ear.

During a hearing test, you’ll hear tones or “beeps” at different pitches and volumes. Each circle or cross on the graph corresponds to a specific pitch, or frequency (measured in hertz, Hz). The audiogram is read from left to right, with frequencies increasing from 250 Hz to 8000 Hz. In other words, the pitches get higher as you move across the graph.

From top to bottom, the graph shows volume, or intensity, measured in decibels (dB). The lower a point is on the graph, the louder the sound had to be for you to hear it—indicating a greater degree of hearing loss. The point at which you can just barely hear a sound is called your hearing threshold.

Degrees of Hearing Loss Severity

Hearing loss is categorised by severity rather than percentage. In the audiogram example below, you can see how each category is represented. We’ll go through each in detail:

Normal Hearing

Hearing thresholds of 20 dB or lower are considered “normal hearing.” Ideally, most points on an audiogram should be at the top of the graph, where sounds are softest.

Normal hearing is based on an average level established by testing thousands of participants at the 1933 World’s Fair, and later standardised in 1951. Having normal hearing doesn’t mean you can hear everything perfectly—it simply means you can hear sounds at an average level.

Mild Hearing Loss

Thresholds between 20–40 dB are considered mild hearing loss. People with mild hearing loss may not notice difficulties during one-to-one conversations, but background noise can make hearing more challenging. Fine distinctions in speech, like telling “fix” from “six,” may also be affected.

Moderate Hearing Loss

If you need sounds at 40–70 dB to hear them, this is moderate hearing loss. Someone with a moderate hearing loss will probably notice at least some difficulty with their hearing and communication.  Conversations may still be possible, but more listening effort is required. Background noise can make communication significantly harder.

Severe Hearing Loss

Hearing loss between 70–90 dB is severe. Even one-to-one conversations without background noise can be challenging. People speaking to someone with severe hearing loss may need to raise their voice considerably.

Profound Hearing Loss

Sounds above 90 dB indicate profound hearing loss. In most cases, this is considered “deaf,” meaning the person cannot hear or understand speech at any level. Very loud environmental sounds may be detectable, but even this may not be possible without hearing aids—or perhaps even cochlear implants.

Hearing Loss Depends on the Pitch

Many people, particularly those with sensorineural (inner ear) hearing loss (often associated with ageing), will have thresholds that vary by pitch, or frequency. Low-frequency hearing loss may be mild, while high-frequency hearing loss is severe. Therefore, audiologists often describe hearing loss as “mild to severe” rather than in one category alone.

If we look at the audiogram example below, we can see how a hearing loss like this might affect speech understanding. Low-frequency hearing contributes to loudness perception and vowel sounds, while high-frequency hearing affects clarity and consonant sounds, which are essential for understanding speech. This explains why some people may feel they “hear” everything but speech sounds garbled or unclear—they can detect sounds, but the high-frequency details are missing.

Will Hearing Aids Help All Degrees of Hearing Loss?

For the most part, yes—hearing aids can help with most degrees of hearing loss. Even people with mild hearing loss are likely to benefit. However, if someone’s hearing loss is very borderline, or only affects one or two frequencies, hearing aids may not be particularly beneficial.

At the other end of the spectrum, someone with profound hearing loss may also not benefit from hearing aids, as these devices rely on at least some residual hearing to function effectively. For these individuals, a cochlear implant may be a better option. An experienced audiologist can guide you through the best choices for your unique hearing needs and help set realistic expectations for what hearing aids can—and cannot—achieve.

Final Thoughts

While it’s natural to want a simple percentage to describe hearing loss, the reality is more nuanced. Hearing is assessed across different pitches and volumes, and results are expressed in terms of severity rather than a single number. Understanding your audiogram and the categories of hearing loss—from mild to profound—helps you see not just what you can hear, but how clearly you hear it. Because hearing ability often varies by frequency, even someone with “mild” loss in one range may experience significant difficulty with speech clarity. By focusing on severity and the specific patterns of your hearing, you and your audiologist can make informed decisions about management, support, and hearing solutions that best suit your needs.

If you'd like to learn more about the kind of hearing care we provide for our patients at Finchley Hearing, please explore our website and feel free to get in touch with any questions. We're a private, independent audiology clinic in London committed to ethical, evidence-based practices and would love to help you on your journey to better hearing.

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