Have you ever gazed into your own eyes and wondered just how unique they are on a global scale? From the deep, familiar brown to a striking, rare green, each eye color carries a unique genetic story. The shade of your iris is determined by a pigment called melanin, creating a spectrum that ranges from very common to incredibly rare.
This post breaks down the eye color rarity of the most common and rarest shades across the globe. You'll get a clear look at the percentages and the simple science that makes each color special. By the end, you'll know exactly where your eye color stands in the world.
What Determines Eye Color? A Quick Science Lesson
The color of your eyes comes down to the amount of melanin in your iris, the colored part of your eye. A high concentration of melanin results in darker eyes, like brown. A low concentration leads to lighter eyes, such as blue.
But it's not just about pigment. Lighter eye colors are also the result of light scattering, a phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. When light enters an eye with very little melanin, it scatters off the collagen fibers in the stroma (a layer of the iris). The shorter blue wavelengths of light scatter more easily, which is why the eyes appear blue.
Other pigments, like lipochrome (a yellowish pigment), also play a role. The interplay between melanin, lipochrome, and light scattering is what creates the full spectrum of eye colors we see.
The World's Most Common Eye Colors
Brown eyes
Brown eyes are the most common eye color worldwide, with about 79% of the world’s population having brown eyes.
It's no surprise that brown eyes are the most dominant color worldwide. This is largely due to genetics. High levels of melanin provided an evolutionary advantage by offering better protection from the sun's harmful UV rays, a crucial trait in sunnier climates where early human populations thrived.
Brown eyes come in a beautiful range of shades, from a light, warm honey to a deep, rich chocolate that can sometimes appear almost black. The depth and radiance of brown eyes often become more noticeable in different lighting, sometimes revealing a golden or reddish shimmer.
Blue Eyes
Blue eyes are the second most common eye color worldwide, with approximately 8% to 10% of the world’s population having blue eyes.
Blue eyes are the second most common, though they are far less prevalent than brown. Their appearance is a trick of the light. With very low melanin levels, the iris scatters light, making the eyes appear blue for the same reason the sky does.
Interestingly, research suggests that nearly all blue-eyed people share a single, common ancestor who lived thousands of years ago. A genetic mutation reduced melanin production in the iris, leading to this captivating color. Blue eyes can range from a pale sky blue to a deep, stormy dark blue.
Green Eyes
Green eyes are one of the rarest eye colors in the world, with approximately 2% of the world’s population having green eyes.
Green eyes are often considered one of the most mysterious and rare eye colors. Their creation is quite complex, which explains their low eye color rarity. They result from a very low level of melanin, a high amount of lipochrome, and the light-scattering effect of Rayleigh scattering. It’s this unique combination of factors that produces shades ranging from a light, vibrant emerald to a dark olive green.
Gray eyes
Gray eyes are a relatively rare color, with about 3% of the world’s population having gray eyes.
Often considered a variation of blue eyes, gray eyes are even rarer. They contain even less melanin than blue eyes and have more collagen in the stroma. This different composition causes light to scatter in a way that creates a gray or silvery appearance rather than blue. Like a stormy sky, gray eyes can appear to shift between shades of gray, blue, and even green depending on the lighting.
Amber Eyes
Amber eyes are a rare eye color worldwide, with little data and debate. Still, less than 5% of the world’s population is generally believed to have them.
Truly one of the rarest eye colors, amber eyes are distinguished by their solid, uniform golden-yellow or coppery hue. Unlike hazel eyes, they don’t contain flecks of brown or green. This stunning color is caused by a high concentration of the yellow pigment lipochrome. Because the pigment is so uniform, amber eyes tend to hold their color steadily, glowing with a warm, bright light that is often compared to honey or gold.
Hazel Eyes
Hazel eyes are a relatively common eye color, with approximately 5% of the world’s population having them.
Hazel eyes are known for their mesmerizing, multi-colored appearance, often seeming to change color in different lighting. They are a complex mixture of brown and green, sometimes with hints of gold. This "chameleon" effect is caused by a moderate amount of melanin combined with the presence of lipochrome. The distribution of these pigments can vary, creating flecks, rings, or rays of different colors within the iris.
Purple Eyes
Naturally occurring pure purple eyes are almost non-existent in the global population, with a prevalence of nearly 0%. In rare cases, some light blue eyes (especially in certain lighting or combined with red blood vessels) can be mistaken for purple.
So-called “purple eyes” are not due to the presence of purple pigment in the iris, but are the result of scarce deep blue eyes combined with trace amounts of red reflections in the iris or blood vessels around the eye, especially under particular lighting conditions. Another possibility is a connection to rare genetic diseases, such as albinism. Purple eyes may appear as a rare and mysterious trait in literature and mythology. Still, in the real world, it is almost non-existent.
