The highest percentages of fair-haired people can be found around the Baltic Sea (e.g. Nothing to do with their mythical fiery temperament! About 5% of the worlds population have hazel eyes. The AAO states that those with central heterochromia have iris with two differently colored rings, while those with complete heterochromia have one iris with a different color. The gray-eyed have little or no melanin in their iris but have more collagen in the stroma part of the eye. Hazel eyes are usually a combination of green and brown and often flecks of gold or orange. Blue eyes aren't even actually blue. Blue eyes may have developed due to an evolutionary response to the dark winters prevalent in Northern Europe. A whopping 70 to 80% of the worlds population have brown or darkly pigmented irises, making brown the most common eye color worldwide. [49] Around 810% of men and 1821% of women in Iceland and 6% of men and 17% of women in the Netherlands, have green eyes. Although most common eye color in Latvia that ranks 7th on our list oftop countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage ofpopulation, is blue and greyish-blue and hair blond, there is also a certain amount of population being grey-eyes and brown haired, whose roots can probably be traced to the ancient Livs, who have later been assimilated. That same study suggested an intriguing possibility: Blue-eyed northern Europeans may have somehow adapted an ability to fend off seasonal affective disorder (S.A.D., also known as the winter blues). The colored part of the eye is called the iris. - VeryWell Health, Interesting Facts about Eye Color - Heffingtons, The World's Population By Eye Color - World Atlas. All eyes in the country were once brown, but a study revealed they are now 48 per cent blue, 30 per cent green and 22 per cent brown. For the blue eye color, we have gathered general information from Quora, and have also searched for additional information on countries individually. 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. One thing that truly sets people apart is their eye color. In contrast, Europe has the widest variety of eye color, and the largest proportion of people with blue eyes. Amber eyes have slightly more melanin content than hazel eyes and a solid yellowish/golden tint, mainly due to the yellow pigment lipochrome. Summary. Eiberg studied the DNA of 800 men and women with blue eyes from varying countries ranging from "fair-skinned, blond-haired Scandinavians to dark-skinned, blue-eyed people living in Turkey and . This article discusses where blue eyes come from and how having blue eyes may increase your risk for certain health conditions. Eye color is a polygenic phenotypic character determined by two factors: the pigmentation of the eye's iris and the frequency-dependence of the scattering of light by the turbid medium in the stroma of the iris. In contrast, more than 50 percent of the global population is believed to have brown eyes. Plus, although this cancer is extremely rare, light-eyed folks are also more susceptible to sun damage from exposure to UV rays. About half as many Americans have blue eyes as brown eyes. Blue eye color is determined by melanin, and melanin is actually brown by nature. [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]. Grey 0%. [5] Neither blue nor green pigments are present in the human iris or vitreous humour. It was created by the anthropologists Rudolf Martin and Bruno K Schultz in the first half of the 20th century. [101], As the perception of color depends on viewing conditions (e.g., the amount and kind of illumination, as well as the hue of the surrounding environment), so does the perception of eye color. Blue eyes are the second most common eye color in the world. 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. This results in the formation of KayserFleischer rings, which are dark rings that encircle the periphery of the iris. Recent advances in ancient DNA technology have revealed some of the history of eye color in Europe. Green eyes: The most attractive eye color? Additionally, Icelanders are very passionate about supporting their sports teams! Light traveling through the iris gets dispersed in a way that gives blue eyes their distinct 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. Brown melanin is the only pigment that exists in the eye; there is . Green irises, for example, have some yellow and the blue structural color. Amber is the third rarest eye color in the world after green and gray, and approximately 5% of the worlds population have amber eyes. [citation needed], Those with lighter iris color have been found to have a higher prevalence of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) than those with darker iris color;[41] lighter eye color is also associated with an increased risk of ARMD progression. The mutation, A111T, is found most commonly in Ireland and all . This can make the blue eyes look slightly different depending on the type of lighting conditions. This is why regular eye exams repay your investment many times over. France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with intermediate (neither brown nor blue) eye color. [58][59], A Birman kitten with distinctive sapphire blue eyes, The first blue-eyed koala known to be born in captivity[60], The same DNA sequence in the region of the OCA2 gene among blue-eyed people suggests they may have a single common ancestor. Click to read the article and view the infographic. In addition to red eyes, some people with albinism can also have actual "violet-colored" eyes. Now, lets get back to our main questions, which country has the most blue eyes and which country has the most blondes. In addition, flash photography can sometimes cause a "red-eye effect", in which the very bright light from a flash reflects off the retina, which is abundantly vascular, causing the pupil to appear red in the photograph. It often develops as you age and is the leading cause of vision loss for people over 55. These people make up about 9% of the U.S. population. Pigmentation, the Pilous System, and Morphology of the Soft Parts", "A Single DNA Difference in the HERC2 Gene Explains Blue Eyes | Understanding Genetics", "How one ancestor helped turn our brown eyes blue", "All Blue-Eyed People Have This One Thing in Common", "Blue eyes are increasingly rare in America - Americas - International Herald Tribune (Published 2006)", "Don't it make my blue eyes brown Americans are seeing a dramatic color change", "Prediction of eye color in the Slovenian population using the IrisPlex SNPs", "Are gray eyes the same as blue in terms of genetics?". Although hazel eyes may contain specks of amber or gold, they usually tend to have many other colors, including green, brown and orange. That's more in line with the hair color's natural occurrence. Since Norway is on the 3 rd place of the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population . Only 2% of the world's population have green eyes, making it the rarest eye color. Since many people with blue eye color are more sensitive to light and may have a higher risk of retinal damage from UV rays, eye doctors often recommend that people with blue eyes be a little more cautious about their exposure to sunlight. Hazel eyes: What determines hazel eye color. 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). Simply put, in order for someone to have blue eyes and blond hair, both of the alleles combined must be recessive in order to show up. Although rare, green eyes are found to be rather catchy especially . The number of cylindrical cells is more than the number of color receptors and reaches about 120 million; cone cells, which are smaller in number than light receptors, have color vision and are divided into three distinct categories, each of which recognizes one of the colors blue, red, and green, allowing the individual to distinguish colors. Blue eyes actually didn't exist 10,000 years ago. Iceland, the northernmost country of the bunch, has the greatest percentage of people with blue eyes. Verywell Health's content is for informational and educational purposes only. Furnace, Boiler or Heat Pump? See More by this Creator. France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with "intermediate" (neither brown nor blue) eye color. Blue eyes have been common across Europe since prehistoric times. A team of scientists has tracked down a genetic mutation that leads to blue eyes. Brown irises contain more or less melanin. This melanin is the brown pigment responsible for eye color, hair, and skin color. Denmark, the Polish coast and the Baltic states), making it in effect an almost entirely blonde-bounded lake. 2012;131(5):683-96. doi:10.1007/s00439-011-1110-x. An estimated 89 percent of Estonians have blue eyes. Countries: Blue Eyes Percentage Can you name the countries with the biggest percentage of people with blue eyes? In fact, more than half of all Americans age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts. "From this we can conclude that all blue-eyed individuals are linked to the same ancestor," said Eiberg. Netherlands stands for the tallest country in the world and is also the top countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population. And in the end, we have gone through some maps provided by Unsafe Harbour made on basis of some scientific research on the matter of countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of population. [7] Humans and other animals have many phenotypic variations in eye color. 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. Only about 8 % to 10% of the world's population has blue eyes. This form of hearing loss comes from damage to the inner ear or to the nerve going from the ear to the brain. Similarly, people with hazel, gray and green eyes have varying quantities of tint in the front layer. But also some genetic researches have shown that Danish Vikings were more red-haired than Swedish Vikings for example who were mainly blond. [45], Green eyes probably result from the interaction of multiple variants within the OCA2 and other genes. 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. 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. October 2014. Europe was the epicenter of the blue-eye gene mutation. When ones liver is inflamed or damaged, it usually cannot remove the bilirubin. The color can be from the very pale blond (caused by a patchy, scarce distribution of pigment) to reddish "strawberry" blond or golden-brownish ("sandy") blond . Bilirubin thus accumulates in the blood and makes the sclera and skin yellow. Because melanocyte cells continually produce pigment, in theory eye color can be changed. Sorry, no results has been found matching your query. Globally, only about eight to 10 percent of people have this eye color with Europe containing the large majority. Blue eyes percentage: 50-80. 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. Having blue eyes has its advantages. doi:10.1016/j.heares.2014.12.002, Donnelly MP, Paschou P, Grigorenko E, et al. But about 30 percent of left-handed folks are either partial to the right hemisphere or have no dominant hemisphere at all. This is why hazel eyes can be mistaken as amber and vice versa. 2023 Dotdash Media, Inc. All rights reserved, Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Common Eye Disorders. Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue Crystal GayleIt was released in June 1977 and reached Number 1 on the Country Billboard Charts, Number 2 on the Billboard Ho. Sitting sixth on this list, Denmark's population is 60 percent blue-eyed. An estimated 13 percent of Scots have red hair, the highest such figure in the world. International Journal of Ophthalmology. While blue eyes may be rare . Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, MD, MBA, is serving as Zillow's health advisor. Most people have brown tint in the back layer, but lighter eyes have less tint in the front layer. Can You Have One Blue Eye and One Brown Eye? Effortless urban style, with expert craftsmanship - clothing, shoes & apparel for men & women from rag & bone. Why Do Europeans Have So Many Hair and Eye Colors? Krystina is a Technical Writer with a background in healthcare. 15 Best Places to Travel in November in Europe, Asia and Tropical Destinations 15 Most Expensive Items You Can Buy on Amazon. WorldAtlas. About half of people living in the U.S. and a higher population in Africa, and Asia are brown-eyed. Normal eye colors range from the darkest shades of brown to the lightest tints of blue. Blue eyes as a risk factor for type 1 diabetes, Eye color as a risk factor for acquired sensorineural hearing loss: A review, A global view of the OCA2-HERC2 region and pigmentation. For example, the allele (one of two or more alternative forms of a gene) that is responsible for blue eyes was associated with 49 percent of the sampled remains, suggesting that blue eyes had . Quite a bit. The iris is made up of two layers of muscle and other kinds of cells. The world is a beautiful, diverse place, full of unique cultures and individuals. The lack of pigment leads to red or violet eyes and often problems with their eyesight. However, approximately 6,000 to 10,000 years ago, the blue-eyed gene mutation spread. Eye color not only affects ones personality but also reflects ones ancestry, the melanin concentration in irises, and even ones current health condition. They were present in south Siberia during the Bronze Age. Hazel 5-8%. Persons with albinism have very little or no melanin in the iris. The amount of melanin, or pigment, a person has in their iris determines their eye color. [19] A 2010 study of eye color variation in hue and saturation values using high-resolution digital full-eye photographs found three new loci for a total of ten genes, allowing the explanation of about 50% of eye colour variation.[20]. As that generation had children and moved around, the blue eye mutation continued to spread across many parts of the globe. Some of the eye-color genes include OCA2 and HERC2. 2011;27(6):609-613. doi:10.1002/dmrr.1214. Viking stereotypes for being tall, strong, blond and blue-eyed are confirmed at least for the last two matters in the case of Denmark. Some people attribute certain qualities to eye color. Black is not an eye color. Sitting sixth on this list, Denmark 's population is 60 percent blue-eyed. Blue eyes are most common in northern and eastern Europe, particularly around the Baltic Sea. 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. If you have blue eyes, it means the iris part of your eyes lacks melanin, so, technically, blue eyes don't have any color. ", "Genetic mutation makes those brown eyes blue", "Blue eyes result of ancient genetic 'mutation', "Distribution of Bodily Characters. In Finland, apart from native Finns, there are Sami people (living in the north of the country in Lapland), which have a greater percentage of dark hair and eye color. Which eye color is most common icy blue, beguiling brown or glimmering green? Grndl M, Knoll S, Eisenmann-Klein M, Prantl L. The blue-eyes stereotype: do eye color, pupil diameter, and scleral color affect attractiveness? 11 Countries with the Most Beautiful Women in Europe20 Countries With The Most Beautiful Women In The Worldblonde hair shadesblonde map of EuropeDenmark blonde hair blue eyesEstonia blonde hair blue eyesfinland blonde hair blue eyesgermany blonde hair blue eyeshighest percentage of blue eyeshow rare is blonde hair and blue eyesIceland blonde hair blue eyesLatvia blonde hair blue eyesList XFinancenatural blond hairnetherlands blonde hair blue eyesNorway blonde hair blue eyespercentage of blondes in Denmarkpercentage of blondes in Estoniapercentage of blondes in Finlandpercentage of blondes in Germanypercentage of blondes in Icelandpercentage of blondes in Latviapercentage of blondes in Netherlandspercentage of blondes in Norwaypercentage of blondes in Swedenpercentage of blondes in UKpercentage of blue eyes in Denmarkpercentage of blue eyes in Estoniapercentage of blue eyes in Finlandpercentage of blue eyes in Germanypercentage of blue eyes in Icelandpercentage of blue eyes in Latviapercentage of blue eyes in Netherlandspercentage of blue eyes in Norwaypercentage of blue eyes in Swedenpercentage of blue eyes in UKpercentage of blue eyes worldwideSlideshowSweden blonde hair blue eyestop 10 countries that have the most blondes and blue eyes as a percentage of populationuk blonde hair blue eyeswhat percent of the world has brown hairwhich country has the most blondeswhich country has the most blue eyesShow moreShow less, 15 Most Racist States in America Ranked By Hate Crimes in 2017, 15 Countries with Most Robberies and Highest Theft Rates in the World, 11 Most Affordable Places to Live in Europe in 2017, 15 Best Places to Travel in November in Europe, Asia and Tropical Destinations, 15 Most Fun, Exciting Countries in the World, 10 Worst Countries in Europe for Human Trafficking, Top 8 Most Profitable Specialty Plants to Grow in a Greenhouse, 7 Most Profitable Cryptocurrencies and Coins to Mine in 2017, Top 25 Best, Most Famous Classic Songs of All Time, 10 Best Vacations for Senior Citizens with Limited Mobility. 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