Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Which eye color is most common icy blue, beguiling brown or glimmering green? Whether it is due to genetics or lifestyle factors, there are a lot of interesting things to learn about these stunning individuals and their unique heritage. Brown is the most common eye colour. As of 2010[update], as many as 16 genes have been associated with eye color inheritance. The Greek goddess Athene appears with gray eyes (). Surely it would be easier to answer the question about what percent of the world has brown hair, but lets see what the issue with the blondes is. Through the analysis of ancient DNA, a 2020 study published in Experimental Dermatology suggested that the common gene for blue eye color likely originated in the Near East and arrived in Europe around 42,000 years ago, after the exodus out of Africa. Provincia: bulletin trimestriel de la Socit de Statistique http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0133%3Abook%3D1%3Acard%3D206, "Melanins: Skin Pigments and Much MoreTypes, Structural Models, Biological Functions, and Formation Routes", "The Claim: Eye Color Can Have an Effect on Vision", Quantification and Correction of Iris Color. has been associated with changes in eye color in up to 33 percent of those taking it for 5 years or longer . Some speculate that this change in environment was a contributing factor. "Blue eyes are seen as powerful. The inheritance pattern followed by blue eyes was previously assumed to be a mendelian recessive trait, however, eye color inheritance is now recognized as a polygenic trait, meaning that it is controlled by the interactions of several genes. Globally, only about eight to 10 percent of people have this eye color with Europe containing the large majority. [68] Alternatively, it has been suggested that gray and blue eyes might differ in the concentration of melanin at the front of the stroma.[68]. Two percent of humans worldwide have blond hair; and 5 percent of whites in the U.S., according to the researchers. Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is . Adult eye color is usually established between 3 and 6 months of age, though this can be later. She specializes in cornea, cataracts, external eye disease, and refractive surgery. Amber eyes are a solid color with a strong yellowish/golden and russet/coppery tint, which may be due to the yellow pigment called lipochrome (also found in green eyes). For example, the film actor Lee Van Cleef was born with one blue eye and one green eye, a trait that reportedly was common in his family, suggesting that it was a genetic trait. Hazel (sometimes grouped with amber) Green. It was created by the anthropologists Rudolf Martin and Bruno K Schultz in the first half of the 20th century. For instance, people with brown eyes are considered by many to be more trustworthy than blue-eyed people (though the combination of brown eyes and facial shape is crucial). The highest percentages of fair-haired people can be found around the Baltic Sea (e.g. They studied the genes that coded blue eyes in all of these individuals. 2012;36(2):234-240. doi:10.1007/s00266-011-9793-x, Di Stasio E, Maggi D, Berardesca E, et al. Redheads have fewer strands of hair on their heads. Melanin in the iris appears to help protect the back of the eye (retina) from damage caused by the UV radiation and high-energy visible blue light that comes from the sun and some artificial sources. According to the World Atlas, between 75% and 85% of the world's population has dark . 4. Researchers at the American Academy of Opthalmology have stated that everyone on planet earth had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. Bilirubin thus accumulates in the blood and makes the sclera and skin yellow. People with gray eyes have very little or no melanin in their irises but have a high concentration of collagen in the stroma. "They have all inherited the same switch at exactly the same spot in their DNA.". In European countries, blue eyes and other lighter eye colors tend to prevail, though youll still commonly find brown eyes everywhere. Researchers found that only 17 to 22 percent of white cats with non-blue eyes are born deaf. [90] On occasion, a difference in eye color is caused by blood staining the iris after injury. Globally, brown is the most common eye color. [71], The eyes of people with severe forms of albinism may appear red under certain lighting conditions owing to the extremely low quantities of melanin,[72] allowing the blood vessels to show through. The most common eye color is dark brown in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. Finnish people pride themselves in their honesty, humility, pensiveness, and perseverance, which not surprisingly, are all attributes associated with the color blue. Their numbers: The stats for the United States shake out a bit differently. Researchers believe there is one ancestor responsible for this eye color. Approximately 2% of the world's population has green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. Yellowing of the sclera (the "whites of the eyes") is associated with jaundice,[84] and may be symptomatic of liver diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis. Speaking scientifically, blue eye color and natural blond hair are cause of recessive genes (actually alleles, which are forms of a gene) combination, as opposed to dominant genes which are characterised by darker eye and hair colors (of course, recessive and dominant genes are not only responsible for eye and hair color, but for other genetic inheritance as well). [77], As a result of heterochromia iridum, it is also possible to have two different eye colors. So, the more melanin you have, the darker your eyes appear. By contrast, less than 1 in every 100 people in southern Europe . Just 2.2 percent of male CEOs had blond hair, a 2005 study found. As estimated by the United Nations, the world currently has over 8 billion people, and every one of them is different from one another. While the rest of us see beauty and wonder in eye color, eye doctors see the source of eye color the iris as a signpost for vision problems. While that much seems obvious, research into our genes still hasn't proved conclusively whats going on. In addition to genetics, the anatomic structure of the iris can also affect eye color to some degree. Amber eyes may also contain amounts of very light gold-ish gray. Changes (lightening or darkening) of eye color during early childhood, puberty, pregnancy, and sometimes after serious trauma (like heterochromia) suggest that eyes sometimes change color under certain circumstances, due to chemical reactions or hormonal changes within the body. Light traveling through the iris gets dispersed in a way that gives blue eyes their distinct color. The mutation occurred between . The most common eye colors depend largely on geographic location. France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with intermediate (neither brown nor blue) eye color. Approximately 27% of people in the United States and between 8% and 10% of the world's population have blue eyes. The ScotlandsDNA project has launched a program to count all the country's redheads - and to learn why . The website WorldAtlas.com takes a stab at estimating the breakdown of eye colors worldwide. [82], Wilson's disease involves a mutation of the gene coding for the enzyme ATPase 7B, which prevents copper within the liver from entering the Golgi apparatus in cells. The majority of the worlds population has brown eyes, about 70-80%. Well, that makes at least one of the most common stereotypical statements about the Dutch true. Are Blue-Eyed People More Likely to Get Macular Degeneration? Since we are slowly coming to the epicenter top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation, Denmark is the first country of Vikings that we come by. Believed to be the result of a genetic mutation, blue eyes originated from a single ancestor thousands of years ago. Blue-eyed, fair-skinned settlers inhabited the Levant some 6,500 years ago, according to an international interdisciplinary team of scientists. The canals of cities like Amsterdam are a great place to spend time exploring, while surrounded by breathtaking architecture. Which country has the most people with blue eyes? There are two main genes on chromosome 15 that determine a person's eye color: OCA2 and HERC2. October 2014. The areas encompass eight genetic variants which, in total, explain 29 percent of the variation in skin color in the groups studied, a surprisingly large amount for such a complex trait that almost certainly involves the combinatory action of many genes. The term Heterochromia, derived from the Ancient Greek words: heteros, which means different, and chroma, which means color, refers to a disorder in which a person has more than one eye color. How much lighter are the eyes of Northern Europeans compared to everybody elses? First, one can have blue eyes as a result of a genetic mutation. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Comments. . Hazel/amber is the next rarest of these. A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. One mutation 10,000 years ago has today resulted in almost 200 million pairs of blue eyes, and people with blue eyes have more blue-eyed children. Below is a list of the top six countries with the most blue-eyed people. The green color is from a combination of a blue hue from Rayleigh scattering and "yellow" from the yellow pigment called lipochrome. Blue eyes have small amounts of melanin while brown eyes are rich in melanin. It's completely normal to see blue become brown, hazel, or even green as they get a little older. And when you meet a red head with blue eyes, you are looking at the rarest colour combination of all for human beings. Now, as Paul Rincon of the BBC reports, genome analysis has revealed that Cheddar Man had dark brown skin and blue eyesa discovery that adds to a growing body of research indicating that the . Only about 8 % to 10% of the world's population has blue eyes. Effortless urban style, with expert craftsmanship - clothing, shoes & apparel for men & women from rag & bone. Human eyes don't have their full amount of melanin pigment at birth. Iceland, the northernmost country of the bunch, has the greatest percentage of people with blue eyes. Age-Related Macular Degeneration. 9. - VeryWell Health, Interesting Facts about Eye Color - Heffingtons, The World's Population By Eye Color - World Atlas. However, when asked about the attractiveness of specific eyes, there doesn't seem to be a real preference for blue eyes over other iris colors. ", "Contribution l'anthropologie des Corses: Anthropologie de la tte (suite)", "Evaluation of an iris color classification system", Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, "Subspecies comparison of the Genus: Corucia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eye_color&oldid=1140743886. Red Hair Is Thicker. Now, lets get back to our main questions, which country has the most blue eyes and which country has the most blondes. Denmark - Approximately 60%. Most newborn babies who have European ancestry have light-colored eyes. Theres still a lot of speculation about why Europeans generally have lighter eyes (and lighter skin and hair). Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character determined by two factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris[1][2] and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris. [29] Brown eyes are common in Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, West Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Americas. Only 2% of the world's population have green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. Eye color percentages around the world - Medical News Today, Eye Spy: Worldwide Eye Color Percentages - Healthline, An Overview of Eye Color Percentages Across the World - MyMS Eye Care, What is the Most Common Eye Color? [84], Aniridia is a congenital condition characterized by an extremely underdeveloped iris, which appears absent on superficial examination.[86]. In contrast, more than 50 percent of the global population is believed to have brown eyes. Blue light is then reflected out, which makes the iris appear blue even though it's actually colorless. With almost 61 percent of its population having blue eyes, this country is truly unique and undeniably beautiful. Most Asian and African children are born with brown and black eyes. Almost all humans have some brown in their eyes. Boys are 3 percent to 5 percent likelier to have blue eyes than girls, but beyond that it's a non-issue -- physiologically speaking. Eye color is one of the first things people notice about one another. A mosaic can have two different colored eyes if the DNA difference happens to be in an eye-color gene. [91] However, there is a study that found that dark-eyed people perform better at "reactive-type tasks", which suggests they may have better reaction times. : 9 In humans, the pigmentation of the iris varies from light brown to black, depending on the concentration of melanin in the iris pigment epithelium (located on the back of the iris . Just 22 per cent now have brown eyes, while 30 . Whether you have blue, brown, green, or hazel eyes, always take good care of your eyes, it will keep them healthy for years to come! Moreover, brown eyes are mainly due to the high concentration of melanin in the iris stroma, which allows the absorption of both shorter and longer wavelengths of light. Bookmark Quiz Bookmark Quiz Bookmark. About 93 percent of Han Chinese carry the variant, as do about 70 percent of people in Japan and Thailand, and 60 to 90 percent of American Indians, a population descended from East Asians. "From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor," said Eiberg. Amber is the third rarest eye color in the world after green and gray, and approximately 5% of the worlds population have amber eyes. Since I think weve had enough of scientific introduction to this subject, lets now get to meet the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation. Although the stereotypical constatation is that Swedes are tall, blue-eyed and blond, those assumptions have never actually been confirmed. Iceland, the northernmost country of the bunch, has the greatest percentage of people with blue eyes. Green 2.0%. Eye colors are a beautiful and distinctive aspect reflecting ones personality and ancestry. Having blue eyes has its advantages. Known for their beautiful, pale blue eyes and milky-white skin, Swedes stand out wherever they go. [27] Green eyes contain the yellowish pigment lipochrome.[52]. Find an eyecare professional and book online in minutes! The scale consists of 20 colors[97] ranging from light blue to dark brown-black, corresponding to natural eye colors caused by the amount of melanin in the iris:[98][99]. [70] Under magnification, gray eyes exhibit small amounts of yellow and brown color in the iris. Green eyes are common in Europe's Central, Western, and Northern regions. The stunning combination of blue eyes and sandy brown or blonde hair is much sought after in other countries, but very much the norm here. Gray eyes are common in parts of Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and among the Algerian Shawia people in Northwest Africa. It is, therefore, essential to remember that no matter what your eye color is, it is important to take care of your eyes, shield them from harmful UV radiations, and visit an opthalmologist for regular checks. . But it is not an unusual thing, since throughout the history of Norway many Norwegians were dark-haired, like Halvdan Svarte (Halvdan the Black) among others for example, who lived in the 9th century and was the father of the first king of Norway. [5] Neither blue nor green pigments are present in the human iris or vitreous humour. Scientists have tracked down a genetic mutation which took place 6,000-10,000 years ago and is the cause of the eye . [100] There are three pigment colors that determine, depending on their proportion, the outward appearance of the iris, along with structural color. [92] People with light-colored eyes, however, performed better at so-called "self-paced tasks", which include activities like hitting a golf ball or throwing baseballs. Close to 3% of people in the world have gray eyes. Brown eyes have the highest amount of melanin in the iris, and blue eyes have the least. Blue-eyed humans have a single, common ancestor. Blue eyes are the second most common eye color in the world. However, they might increase your risk of health problems like type 1 diabetes and eye cancer. However, a blue-eyed child is almost certain if both parents have blue eyes. There are various causes of Anisocoria: head trauma, brain tumors, migraines, demyelinating diseases, medications with anticholinergic properties, etc. The top layer, called the epithelium, is where the melanin (pigment) that gives an eye its color lives. Pigment lipochrome. [ 52 ] your risk of Health problems like type 1 diabetes and eye.. 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Of these individuals to genetics, the world & # x27 ; s population has brown eyes about... Of all for human beings Amsterdam are a great place to spend time exploring while... Half of the world Atlas 10 percent of its population having blue?. Many as 16 genes have been associated with eye color with Europe containing the large.... Swedes are tall, blue-eyed and blond, those assumptions have never actually been.! Associated with changes in eye color inheritance way that gives an eye its color.. Have all inherited the same spot in their DNA. `` milky-white skin, Swedes stand wherever! 90 ] on occasion, a 2005 study found called the epithelium, is where the melanin ( )... Tend to prevail, though this can be later, Berardesca E, et al possible to have two colored. Difference in eye color with Europe containing the large majority it is also possible to have brown eyes have amounts... ; and 5 percent of the most common eye colors are a great place to time! 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