Blonde Hair Percentage by Country (2024)

Blond (or blonde) hair naturally occurs in roughly 2% of the world's population, making it more common than red hair, but far less common than black or brown hair. Blonde is also a very popular choice for those who color their hair artificially. The predominant hair color in each country varies greatly by country and region. Black and brown are easily the most common hair colors on a global scale, but blond/blonde hair is dominant in several countries in Scandinavia and Northern Europe, such as Norway and Denmark. By comparison, red hair is rare all over the world, but the highest percentage of people with red hair occurs in the United Kingdom. Blond/blonde hair is least common in Africa and East Asia, where black and brown hair are overwhelmingly dominant.

Blond vs blonde and the challenge of determining hair color percentages

The proper use and spelling of blond and blonde can be confusing. Blond/blonde is a gender-sensitive adjective. Thus, blond is the masculine/genderless/gender-flexible term and is used when the subject is non-female, or when speaking generally (for instance, when discussing the percentage of humans with blond hair). Blonde is the feminine term and is used when the subject is specifically presenting/identifying as female.

Efforts to determine the rates of blond and other hair colors can be even more confusing, thanks in large part to the fact that blonde, red, and brown lack clear boundaries and instead blend gradually into one another. This results in many in-between hair colors whose official color is up to the viewer's opinion rather than quantifiable scientific fact. For example, most dark blonds could also be light browns. Many strawberry blondes could be either blonde or red. Many auburns could be red or brown, and the line between black and dark brown can be very difficult to discern at times.

Also, blonde hair in particular tends to darken as a person ages, so an individual who was blonde at age 10 often has light or medium brown hair by the time they reach age 20. Because of the challenges generated by the gradual transition between colors, some sources combine black and brown hair into a single unified color, or do away with blonde/brown/black entirely and simply separate hair into light, dark, and (sometimes) red.

Countries with the most blond-haired residents

Finland

The people of Finland have one of the highest concentrations of blond hair in the world. In large portions of Finland, 80% of the population has blond hair (and a full 89% of the population has blue eyes). Blond hair and blue eyes are one of the rarest combinations in the world (though red hair and blue eyes is even more rare), but such a combination is commonplace in Finland. The native Sami people who live in the northern region of the country, called Lapland, are more likely to have dark hair and eyes, though this dilutes the country's overall blond population percentage only slightly. Blond hair is still notably prevalent, especially in Finland's central and southern regions.

Sweden

Like its neighbor Finland, Sweden also has some of the highest rates of blond hair in the world. It is estimated that up to 78% of Sweden’s population has blond hair, including a large swath where the frequency of blond hair is higher than 80%. As in other Scandinavian countries, blond hair and blue eyes are notably more common in Sweden than in other regions of the world. Around 70% to 80% of Swedes also have blue eyes.

Norway

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the percentage of blond-haired residents in Norway is nearly as high as that in neighboring Scandinavian countries Sweden and Finland. In Norway, an estimated 75% of the population has blond hair, and between 60% to 80% of the population has blue eyes. Although Norway is predominantly blond today, many native Norwegians, such as the infamous 9th-century figure Halvdan Svarte, who fathered Norway’s first king, had dark hair.

Estonia

An estimated 70% of the Estonian population has blond hair and 64% of the population has blue eyes. Many Estonians actually have a blue-gray eye coloration that, like blond hair, is passed down through generations by family genes. Estonia is geographically positioned just south of Finland and east of Sweden, though it is separated from both countries by water.

Iceland

The island country Iceland was originally populated by settlers from Scandinavia, particularly Norway, who brought with them their parent country's high percentage of blond hair. Nearly 70% of Icelanders have blond hair and an estimated 90% have blue eyes. Not only is the usually rare combination of blond hair and blue eyes by far the most common combination in Iceland, the even more rare pairing of red hair and green eyes is also atypically frequent.

Denmark

It is estimated that up to 68% of the population in Denmark has blond hair. Denmark is one of a handful of countries, along with Sweden and Norway, from which the viking invasions (approx. 800-1100 AD) originated, which population experts believe were instrumental in spreading both blond and red hair throughout the rest of Europe.

Blonde Hair Percentage by Country (2024)

FAQs

What country has the highest concentration of blondes? ›

Sweden. Like its neighbor Finland, Sweden also has some of the highest rates of blond hair in the world. It is estimated that up to 78% of Sweden's population has blond hair, including a large swath where the frequency of blond hair is higher than 80%.

How common is blonde hair USA? ›

Only 5.5% of the US population is naturally blonde, and yet…

Blonde hair is caused by the sparseness of the dark blue pigment eumelanin in the hair. It is most common in northern European populations, and has long been associated with female beauty in western culture, as if it were especially pure.

What is the percentage of real blondes in the world? ›

Would you believe that only 2% of the world's population is naturally blonde? Crikey! The UK has one of the highest rates of naturally blonde hair in the world.

What country do natural blondes come from? ›

Eupedia sources the highest percentage of natural blondes are in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland, but did you know only 3% of people in the world are natural blondes? In America, one in three women lightens their hair to be blonde.

What is the rarest hair color in the world? ›

Natural red hair is the rarest hair color in the world. A mere one to two percent of people are born with auburn hair. The prevalence is slightly higher in the northern and western fringes of Europe, especially the British Isles (mainly Ireland and Scotland), than in the rest of the world.

What is the most common hair color in the USA? ›

The United States has predominantly black and brown hair in the population, with 85 percent for black hair and 11 percent for brown hair. Authentic blonde hair makes up only two percent of the population, and authentic red hair, the rarest hair color of all, makes up only one percent of the American population.

What percent of blonde people have blue eyes? ›

In the United States, if 16.6% of the population has blue eyes and 28.3% has blonde hair, with 9.3% having both blue eyes and blonde hair, what can be deduced from these statistics?

How common is blonde hair in England? ›

Almost half (48%) of Brits are natural brunettes, around three in ten (29%) are natural blondes and 8% have natural black strands. Alex Fisher, Senior Beauty Analyst at Mintel, said: “As the majority of Brits have naturally darker hair, lightening their locks blonde is the nation's most obvious hair colour solution.

Is Taylor Swift naturally blonde? ›

(Even the moody grunge that accompanied her Reputation era wasn't enough to separate Swift from her natural hair hue.) Still, from golden to ash to platinum to 'old money,' Swift's blonde (a color she comes by naturally) is as chameleonic as it is reliable.

Does blonde hair darken with age? ›

The biggest contributing factor is your hormones. Generally speaking, blonde hair usually turns brown – or at least darker – as we age.

Why do blondes turn brunette? ›

Genetics: The primary reason for why your hair color changes over time lies in genetics. Blonde hair has less melanin, particularly eumelanin, compared to brown or black hair. As individuals age, their predetermined genetic programming can “order” an increase in melanin production which gradually darkens hair color.

What does long blonde hair symbolize? ›

Blond: Innocence and Youth

In many Western cultures, blond hair is often associated with youthfulness and innocence. It's seen as a sign of freshness and youth. Think of the blonde, innocent angels in art and literature. Blond can also be seen as a sign of carefreeness and playfulness.

What is the evolutionary advantage of blonde hair? ›

Naturally-occurring blond hair is primarily found in people living in or descended from people who lived in the northern half of Europe, and may have evolved alongside the development of light skin that enables more efficient synthesis of vitamin D, due to northern Europe's lower levels of sunlight.

What country has the highest percentage of blue eyes? ›

Iceland, the northernmost country of the bunch, has the greatest percentage of people with blue eyes. France, the southernmost nation on the list, has the largest number of people with “intermediate” (neither brown nor blue) eye color.

What country is 4 Non Blondes from? ›

4 Non Blondes was an American rock band from San Francisco, active from 1989 to 1994.

What country star has blonde hair? ›

Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, and of course, Dolly Parton, have showed time and again that blondes have more fun — and have massive success in the country music world.

What is the main hair color in Germany? ›

Overall, we noticed that blond hair dominated in Germany and the Netherlands, while the red hair trait reached its most frequent occurrence in Iceland and Great Britain (Fig. 2). Great Britain also appeared to have, together with France, a high percentage of brown haired people.

What country has the most blue eyes? ›

Iceland, the northernmost country of the bunch, has the greatest percentage of people with blue eyes.

Where did blonde hair and blue eyes originate? ›

Contrary to popular opinion, blonde hair and blue eyes did not originate in Scandinavia. Blue eyes originated in West Asia 42 000 years ago. The genes for blonde hair were found among Ancient Northern Eurasians (ANE) and dated to 18 000 years. The ANE were West Asian in origin.

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