percentage of blue eyes by country

Give Orange. . Most Asian and African children are born with brown and black eyes. Researchers at the American Academy of Opthalmology have stated that everyone on planet earth had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. When a portion of one iris is a different color from its remaining part, it is sectoral Heterochromia. [83], Eye color outside of the iris may also be symptomatic of disease. Just 2.2 percent of male CEOs had blond hair, a 2005 study found. The iris is the colored part of the eye that surrounds the pupil. Cylindrical cells are the photoreceptors of the eye that have a black and white vision and, depending on the amount of light received from the environment, determine the amount of darkness and brightness of objects. initiative combines industry-leading health and safety standards with virtual technologies designed to keep real estate moving forward, and give our employees, customers and partners confidence and support to stay safe. If you have dark brown hair and brown eyes, you have something in common with most people around the globe. Hazel eyes are most common in North Africa, the Middle East, Brazil, and Spain. So, the more melanin you have, the darker your eyes appear. Denmark, the Polish coast and the Baltic states), making it in effect an almost entirely blonde-bounded lake. Ready? Longer wavelengths of light tend to be absorbed by the dark underlying epithelium, while shorter wavelengths are reflected and undergo Rayleigh scattering in the turbid medium of the stroma. For example, Asians typically have brown eyes, while Europeans are more likely to have eyes of blue or other lighter hues. Without question, brown eyes dominate globally, with an estimated 70-79% of the worlds population having eyes in shades of brown ranging from light golden brown to very dark brown and everything in between. Finland is a country with a rich history and unique culture. Contact an eye doctor if you need medical attention. Quite a bit. Amber eyes have slightly more melanin content than hazel eyes and a solid yellowish/golden tint, mainly due to the yellow pigment lipochrome. When one iris has a different color from the other, it is complete Heterochromia. Both parents may have icy blue eyes, but that's no guarantee their child's eyes will even be blue at all. Norway. Between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, a baby was born in Europe with a harmless genetic mutation. Blue eyes are also found in southern Europe, Central Asia, South Asia, North Africa and West Asia. A poll conducted for the American Academy of Ophthalmology resulted in the following percentages: That the majority of Americans have light eyes is likely a reflection of the countrys earliest immigration patterns, with many new inhabitants coming from European countries where blue eyes dominate. Bookmark Quiz Bookmark Quiz Bookmark. This is because - according to research - redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold pain. Close to 3% of people in the world have gray eyes. Researchers believe there is one ancestor responsible for this eye color. It is, therefore, interesting to note how eye colors vary worldwide and the different percentages of people in the world that have brown, blue, hazel, amber, green, and gray eyes. Studies have shown that the percentage of Irish residents with red hair is indeed around 10 per cent, though the percentage of Scots possessing it is closer to 5 or 6 per cent. A small numer of people have eyes of an even rarer color, such as violet or red, or display heterochromia, a condition in which a person's eyes are two different colors. [26] This would be analogous to the change in the color of the sky, from the blue given by the Rayleigh scattering of sunlight by small gas molecules when the sky is clear, to the gray caused by Mie scattering of large water droplets when the sky is cloudy. Most researchers believe that blue-eyed individuals may be more dominant among certain populations and less present in others. Light or medium-pigmented brown eyes can also be commonly found in South Europe, among the Americas, and parts of Central Asia, West Asia and South Asia. Different studies have shown that people with lighter iris color have higher chances of "age-related macular degeneration" than those with darker ones. France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with intermediate (neither brown nor blue) eye color. The brightly colored eyes of many bird species result from the presence of other pigments, such as pteridines, purines, and carotenoids. Although people with lighter eye color are generally more sensitive to light because they have less pigment in the iris to protect them from sunlight, there is little to no evidence that eye color has a direct impact on vision qualities such as visual acuity. But about 30 percent of left-handed folks are either partial to the right hemisphere or have no dominant hemisphere at all. Priscilla Vu, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. As estimated by the United Nations, the world currently has over 8 billion people, and every one of them is different from one another. If this gene activation never happens, a baby's eyes will stay blue. 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? While limited, there is some research showing that blue eyes may protect you against seasonal affective disorder. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. This page was last edited on 21 February 2023, at 15:18. The iris is made up of two layers of muscle and other kinds of cells. For blue-eyed people, this top layer lacks melanin. Ireland and Scotland have the next-highest populations of people with blue eyes. Transillumination defects can almost always be observed during an eye examination due to lack of iridial pigmentation. The second most common eye color worldwide is blue, with several estimates revealing that about 8 to 10% of the worlds population share this trait. Although there are some claims that around 99% of Estonians have blue eyes, we have gone with the one probably more realistic assumption that around 64% of Estonian population has blue-grayish eyes. [94] According to scientists, more study is needed to verify these results. 9. 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. Countries: Blue Eyes Percentage Can you name the countries with the biggest percentage of people with blue eyes? Researches at Penn State University identified SLC24A5 as the gene responsible for skin pigmentation, and a specific mutation within it responsible for fair skin. Home Improvement / story. Hazel 5-8%. As the child develops, melanocytes (cells found within the iris of human eyes, as well as skin and hair follicles) slowly begin to produce melanin. Brown or dark-eyed people see are more likely to suffer from this type of depression, which is connected to cyclical changes in natural light. Sharing the rank of first in the world with Estonia, Finland also has a whopping 89 percent of its population with blue eyes. Stay Safe. Amber eye color is commonly found in Pakistan and the Balkan region, as well as in Southern France, the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, and Hungary, and in fewer numbers in the Middle East, Colombia, and the Southern Cone region. The melanin in brown eyes helps protect against intense sunlight exposure, so it would not be necessary for areas where there is not much light year-round. These seemingly insignificant physical features are two of the most dominant characteristics of Sweden's population. ", "Genetic mutation makes those brown eyes blue", "Blue eyes result of ancient genetic 'mutation', "Distribution of Bodily Characters. Plus, although this cancer is extremely rare, light-eyed folks are also more susceptible to sun damage from exposure to UV rays. Approximately 2% of the world's population has green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. Inflammation, infections, tumors and other ailments can afflict the iris. As that generation had children and moved around, the blue eye mutation continued to spread across many parts of the globe. In the U.S., that proportion is higher, at about 27%. Brown eyes in an otherwise mostly light-eyed region may point to a genetic leftover and a time in history during which everyone in the world had brown eyes. Eye color may not remain constant throughout your life. Iris color depends on the protein melanin which is stored in special cells, melanocytes. [90] On occasion, a difference in eye color is caused by blood staining the iris after injury. Originally, all human eyes were brown. Any advantage in surviving bone-chilling winters must have been welcome in the far-northern latitudes. Time for Heating Systems 101. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions 2023 worldatlas.com. Find an eyecare professional and book online in minutes! The incidence of blue eyes continues to decline among American children. European Americans with recent Celtic and Germanic ancestry account for 16% of people with green eyes. The amount of damage depends on wavelength and exposure time . [3]:9. As explained by livescience.com, "a single mutation which arose as recently as . This coincided with the migration further north away from sun-drenched regions like the Middle East and countries in the southern hemisphere. Denmark for instance, where blonde hair and blue eyes is quite a common sight, is a very desirable destination for travel for men of Southern European Countries. If you have ever been curious about the exact percentage of people with blue eyes in different parts of the world, look no further. Scientists believe that all blue-eyed people can be traced back to a common ancestor, who probably had a genetic mutation that reduced their melanin in the iris. Amber 5.0%. The brown color comes from melanin, a pigment in our eyes that also gives a brown color to hair, skin and other cells. Instead, they have less melanin, absorb less light, scatter more light and reflect it along the spectrum of light color. This color transition can take anywhere from a few months to three years to run its course. They look blue because of how light is reflected. Thats because eye color comes from melanin, the same brown pigment that gives color to our hair and skin. Heterochromia is extremely rare in humans, and less than 1% of the worlds population has this condition. Hazel/amber is the next rarest of these. Which eye color is most common icy blue, beguiling brown or glimmering green? In fact, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) claims that everyone on the planet had brown eyes around 10,000 years ago. In the US, 45% of people have brown eyes, while the rarest eye color is green only 9% of people in the US have green eyes. France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with "intermediate" (neither brown nor blue) eye color. In areas where there is a lot of sun, more melanin is extracted by melanocytes, and skin, and eyes, together with hair color are darker. While eye color is not a defining characteristic of a person, it can be interesting to see how the distribution of different colors varies from place to place. Whats the Difference Between Vitiligo and Albinism? About half of people living in the U.S. and a higher population in Africa, and Asia are brown-eyed. A fascinating fact is that these eyes appear to shift color in different lighting. SEE RELATED: Is blue the rarest eye color? For other uses, see. Hazel eyes are due to a combination of Rayleigh scattering and a moderate amount of melanin in the iris' anterior border layer. the admirers of blue eyes and fair hair were disgusted . Normal eye colors range from the darkest shades of brown to the lightest tints of blue. 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. As being one of the Baltic peoples, Latvians expectedly have very high percentage of the blue-eyed and blond population. For centuries, it's been noted that blue eyes are considered more attractive than other eye colors. Since Norway is on the 3rd place of the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation, there are still many darker native Norwegians than it could be expected. Some eyes have a dark ring around the iris, called a limbal ring. Hazel eyes are most common in the Middle East, North Africa, Brazil, and people of Spanish heritage. [66] 56% of Slovenes have blue/green eyes. Green eyes are a result of a combination of several factors including light brown pigmentation in the iris stroma, a blue shade due to the Raleigh scattering of reflected light, and the yellowish pigment lipochrome. Protecting your eyes and getting regular check ups is important no matter the color of your irises. As in all Scandinavian countries, and being at the top of those, most common eye color is blue and most usual hair is blond. Redheads have fewer strands of hair on their heads. Blue eyes are a distant second, followed by hazel eyes, green eyes, then other. This last category includes amber eyes, gray eyes and even violet eyes. Blue eye color is determined by melanin, and melanin is actually brown by nature. [35] People with that eye color are found in Spaniards, South Africa, Pakistan, Balkan region, Hungary, Italy, Iberian Peninsula, Southern Cone, Colombia and Middle East.[36]. Be more dominant among certain populations and less than 1 % of people with lighter color... Color outside of the blue-eyed and blond population online in minutes [ 83 ], color. Almost always be observed during an eye doctor if you need medical attention centuries, is. Lacks melanin some research showing that blue eyes continues to decline among American children blue, percentage of blue eyes by country! 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Spread across many parts of the eye that surrounds the pupil strands of hair on their heads the population... Brightly colored eyes of many bird species result from the presence of other pigments, such as pteridines,,! Color in different lighting quot ; a single mutation which arose as recently.. Of light color have blue/green eyes may have icy blue eyes of left-handed folks are also more to. To run its course same brown pigment that gives color to our hair and eyes! Eye color comes from melanin, absorb less light, scatter more light reflect!

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