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docs(): add population numbers for sign language interpreters
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AmitMY committed Dec 4, 2024
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8 changes: 4 additions & 4 deletions docs/.vitepress/config.mts
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collapsed: false,
items: [
{
text: 'Numbers',
link: '/docs/facts/numbers',
text: 'Population',
link: '/docs/facts/population',
items: [
{text: 'Hearing Loss', link: '/docs/facts/numbers#hearing-loss'},
{text: 'Deafness', link: '/docs/facts/numbers#deafness'},
{text: 'Hearing Loss', link: '/docs/facts/population#hearing-loss'},
{text: 'Deafness', link: '/docs/facts/population#deafness'},
],
},
{
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33 changes: 30 additions & 3 deletions docs/docs/facts/numbers.md → docs/docs/facts/population.md
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outline: deep
---

# Numbers
# Population

Understanding the scale and impact of hearing loss is essential for assistive technologies.
This section explores the global funnel from hearing loss to deafness and its significance.

1. **1.5 billion people** experience hearing loss globally.
2. **430 million people** require rehabilitation for disabling hearing loss.
3. **70 million people** are considered deaf.
4. **8[^ecml]-24[^derivation] million people** natively use sign languages.
4. **12[^ecml]-24[^derivation] million people** natively use sign languages.

[^ecml]: European Centre for Modern Languages. 2024. [Facts about sign language](https://edl.ecml.at/Facts/FAQsonsignlanguage/tabid/2741/language/en-GB/Default.aspx).
[^derivation]: Derivation. 2022. [International Day of Sign Languages 2022](https://derivation.co/international-day-of-sign-languages-2022/).
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It is unclear how many people use sign languages.
The European Centre for Modern Languages[^ecml] estimates that on average,
deaf sign language users make up about 0.1% of the whole population in any given country, amounting to 8 million people worldwide.
deaf sign language users make up about 0.16% of the whole population in any given country, amounting to 12 million people worldwide.
According to Ethnologue (via Derivation[^derivation]), there are 24 million native sign language users worldwide.

### Sign Language Interpreters

Sign language interpreters are a rare commodity, and are globally in shortage.
In Israel, a survey conducted among the organization's members found that 67% of interpreters refuse to attend a single-hour interpretation order.[^isl-shortage]

We list the number of interpreters in various countries below:

| Country | Population | HoH Population | Deaf Population | Interpreters |
| ------------- | --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| United States | 331 million (2023) | 11[^disabilitystatistics]-12[^researchondisability] million | 1 million[^mitchell] | 10,385[^rid] |
| India | 1.4 billion (2023) | | 2 million[^wfdeaf-sig] | 300[^wfdeaf-sig] |
| Germany | 83 million[^aiic-ch] | | | 300[^aiic-ch] |
| Switzerland | 8.7 million[^aiic-ch] | 800,000[^swissinfo] | 10,000[^swissinfo] | 270[^aiic-ch] |
| Israel | 9.7 million (2023) | 55,700[^cbs-isl] | 10,000[^isl-deaf] | 147[^isl-interpreters]-200[^isl-shortage] |

[^isl-shortage]: Omer Sharvit. 2022. [מחסור חמור במתורגמנים לשפת הסימנים](https://www.zman.co.il/285475/popup)
[^cbs-isl]: Central Bureau of Statistics, 2024. [Data on People with Hearing Impairments in Israel on the Occasion of World Hearing Day 2024](https://www.cbs.gov.il/he/mediarelease/DocLib/2024/065/11_24_065b.pdf).
[^isl-deaf]: Meir et al. 2010. [Emerging sign languages](https://signlab.haifa.ac.il/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Emerging-Sign-Languages.pdf).
[^isl-interpreters]: Malach Israel. 2024. [רשימת מתורגמנים](https://malachisrael.org/organization-members/interpreters-list/)
[^swissinfo]: Swissinfo. 2021. [Positive signs: Swiss Deaf Federation marks 75 years of adversity](https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/society/positive-signs-swiss-deaf-federation-marks-75-years-of-adversity/46779982).
[^aiic-ch]: International Association of Conference Interpreters. 2024. [The Swiss Interpreting Market](https://aiic.ch/the-swiss-interpreting-market/).
[^disabilitystatistics]: Disability Statistics. 2022. [Disability Statistics](https://www.disabilitystatistics.org/).
[^researchondisability]: Center for Research on Disability. 2023. [Build Your Own Statistics](https://www.researchondisability.org/ADSC/build-your-own-statistics).
[^mitchell]: Mitchell, Ross E. 2005. [How many deaf people are there in the United States? Estimates from the Survey of Income and Program Participation](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16177267/).
[^rid]: Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. 2024. [Publications](https://rid.org/programs/membership/publications/).
[^wfdeaf-sig]: World Federation of the Deaf. 2024. [News: Special Interest Groups](https://wfdeaf.org/news/special-interest-groups/).

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