Hyperopia (Farsightedness) Statistics Worldwide in 2025

Only 36% of people with Hyperopia get contact lenses or glasses

Hyperopia or farsightedness is a vision problem that causes objects close to you to be blurred, and objects at a greater distance to be clear. The condition is caused if an eye is shorter than normal or a cornea is not as curved as it should be.

Global Occurrence of Hyperopia

It is hard to state the exact number of hyperopia cases around the world because of differences in study methods, definitions or group details. Some studies give us more clues on its prevalence than others. So what do the figures suggest?

Children and Young People

One study showed that about 8.4% of children have hyperopia at age six, which drops to 2–3% between ages nine to fourteen and about 1% at age fifteen.

Adults

How common hyperopia is, changes a lot by region. In the United States, research shows nearly 9.9% of people from age twenty to thirty-nine have hyperopia, 12.7% between age forty and fifty-nine have it, while 14.9% of people aged sixty or more show signs of hyperopia.

Hyperopia stats by age

Global Figures

One study found that up to 30.6% of adults worldwide could have hyperopia, with differences by region. Africa shows 38.6%, the Americas 37.2% and Europe 23.1%.

North America (USA and Canada)

Total Cases: 85–95 million people.

Rate: 20–30% of the population.

Children up to nine: 12–14%.

Adults over forty: 35–40%.

In the USA, about 75 million people show signs of hyperopia, with 14 million not treated because they do not get proper eye care or have coverage problems.

Europe

Total Cases: 150 million people.

Rate: 20–28% of the population.

Adults over forty: 30–40% have hyperopia, especially in the north.

Countries such as Finland, Sweden as well as Norway show higher levels (around 35%) because of genetic factors.

Asia

Total Cases: 700–750 million people.

Rate: 12–18% because of a high number of myopia cases.

Children up to nine: 5–10% show hyperopia.

Adults over forty: 30–40% have hyperopia.

Japan and South Korea show higher rates (around 20%) in older people, while China and India show low hyperopia levels but very high myopia numbers.

Africa

Total Cases: 100–120 million people. However this number is very conservative and could even be three times higher.

Rate: 25–38%, the highest among continents.

Adults over forty: 40–50% suffer from hyperopia because of limited eye care.

Africa holds the highest share of untreated hyperopia (around 60%) because optometry services cost too much or are hard to find.

Latin America

Total Cases: 80–90 million people. Again this number is conservative and could even be double this amount.

Rate: 22–30%.

Children up to nine: 10–12% show hyperopia.

Adults over forty: 30–38% have hyperopia.

Brazil and Mexico show rising hyperopia cases as people grow older and lifestyles change.

Oceania (Australia and New Zealand)

Total Cases: 10–12 million people.

Rate: 22–28%.

Adults over forty: 35–40% have hyperopia.

Some Indigenous groups in Australia show higher untreated rates (50%) because they lack good health services.

hyperopia stats by region

Variations by Age and Gender

Hyperopia changes noticeably with age and gender.

Age: Hyperopia appears more in young children but drops during childhood. In grown-ups, the chance of hyperopia rises after age forty as the eye lens alters with age.

Gender: Some studies note that females show hyperopia more often than males, mainly in older age groups.

Effects of Untreated Hyperopia

Not treating hyperopia may bring several problems.

Eye Discomfort: People may suffer from eye stress, headaches or blurry vision when they work on close tasks.

Lazy Eye and Crossed Eyes: In children, high hyperopia may lead to lazy eye or crossed eyes. These issues can cause lasting vision problems if they are not fixed in time.

Quality of Life: Grown-ups with hyperopia who are not treated may struggle with everyday tasks, which lowers work output or life satisfaction.

Global Work and Hurdles in Handling Hyperopia

Even though glasses or contact lenses can fix hyperopia, some hurdles remain:

Access to Eye Care: Worldwide, only 36% of people with far-vision trouble because of refractive errors get glasses or contact lenses.

Awareness: Many regions show low knowledge about regular eye checks. This gap causes many cases to go unnoticed or untreated.

Economic Reasons: The cost of glasses, lenses and eye care may be high, especially in poor countries. Such costs limit the chance of getting much-needed treatment.

Hyperopia is an important health concern in eye care, with different levels among ages and regions. Fixing this problem will require many approaches, such as better access to eye care services, spreading the word in developing countries about regular eye checks and public plans to make eye care affordable for all. Addressing these points will boost vision health outcomes while raising life quality for those with hyperopia.

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