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Magnitude and Projections

Country Map & Estimates of Vision Loss

The 10 countries with the highest number of persons with vision loss, 2020.

As may be expected, these countries also have the largest populations. China and India together account for 49% of the world’s total burden of blindness and vision impairment, while their populations represent 37% of the global population.

CountryTotal with vision lossBlindnessModerate to severeMildNearPopulation
India275.0M9.2M79.0M49.1M137.7M1,422M
China274.3M8.9M51.9M57.7M155.7M1,426M
Indonesia34.9M3.7M10.8M11.5M8.9M265M
Russia28.6M0.6M8.0M3.7M18.5M146M
Brazil26.6M1.8M10.0M8.3M8.6M217M
Bangladesh26.3M0.9M7.5M4.2M14.0M161M
Pakistan26.3M1.8M8.5M6.0M10.1M226M
Nigeria24.3M1.3M5.3M7.8M9.9M226M
USA16.4M0.6M6.7M4.6M4.4M331M
Mexico16.0M0.5M4.7M4.4M6.4M132M

The 10 countries with the highest rates of vision loss, 2020

The comparative age-standardised prevalence rate can be helpful in providing a comparison of which country experiences the highest rates of vision impairment, regardless of age structure. India is the only country to appear on both ‘top 10’ lists, as it has the most vision impaired people, as well as the 5th highest overall rate of vision impairment.

CountryBlindnessModerate to severeMild Near
Nepal0.5%5.1%2.8%18.8%
United Rep. of Tanzania1.1%3.2%4.5%16.3%
Niger1.2%3.6%4.8%13.2%
Zimbabwe0.8%3.0%3.7%15.2%
India0.9%6.6%4.0%11.3%
Lesotho1.1%2.6%3.7%15.0%
Eswatini1.0%2.5%3.5%14.5%
South Africa0.8%2.3%3.5%14.9%
Namibia0.8%2.5%3.5%14.2%
Botswana1.0%2.5%3.4%14.1%

Note: Country estimates rely on the availability of population-based data. In some regions, extrapolations from other regions were required. Limited data create substantial uncertainty.

Related pages on the Vision Atlas