Eye Colors: What is the Rarest, the Most Common and Why Eyes are Different Colors

If you were to guess, what would you say is the rarest eye color in the world? You may be surprised to learn that the answer is red or violet. Among the more common eye colors, green is the rarest. But keep in mind, eye color prominence is largely determined by where in the world you and your ancestors live(d).

This means, in some parts of the world, green eyes are actually more common than brown… even though brown is considered the most common eye color, globally speaking.

What are the Rarest Eye Colors?

Red or Violet Eyes

Even though they aren’t very common, red and violet eyes do occur naturally. Most people with these unusual eye colors also exhibit albinism. Albinism is a rare genetic disorder that prevents the body from producing melanin.

When there isn’t much (or any) melanin in the body, the eyes will also appear much lighter because there isn’t any pigmentation in the iris. This lack of melanin causes the blood vessels in the eyes to become visible when light reflects off of the vessels. Thus, the eyes appear red or violet.

Green Eyes

Green eyes are the rarest of the common eye colors. About 9% of the U.S. population has green eyes. Globally, only 2% of people have green eyes — mainly Europeans and women.

Green eyes contain less melanin than brown eyes and more than blue eyes. Green eyes look green because of the way light is reflected off and scattered by the eye instead of being absorbed by the iris.

If you want to show off your green eyes, make sure to get anti-reflective lenses in your next pair of glasses. In addition to reducing reflections and glare, these lenses will make your eyes easy for others to see and appreciate.

Gray Eyes

Gray eyes are also uncommon. It’s estimated that 3% of the world’s population has this eye color.

Scientists believe that gray eyes develop in a similar way to blue eyes, but there is enough melanin in the front layer of the iris to make the eyes look gray rather than blue. The way the eye’s stroma (or middle layer of the cornea) scatters light can also make them appear gray.

All gray eyes are not the same color. They can look dark gray, gray-blue, gray-green or almost hazel. The color can also seem to change depending on the color of clothing and/or makeup the person is wearing, and even under certain lighting.

Hazel Eyes

Hazel eyes are a combination of green and brown. Although, a person with hazel eyes has as much melanin as someone with brown eyes. The difference is that the melanin in hazel eyes is near the outer edge of the iris. Hazel eyes often have brown, green and sometimes gold streaks near the pupil.

Approximately 18% of the American population and 5% of people globally have hazel eyes.

To make your hazel eyes pop, look for colorful frames that match the tones in your eyes. Shades of green, brown, tortoise and gold are fan favorites for good reason.

Amber Eyes

Amber eyes are also rare in humans — only about 5% of people have them. Amber eyes are actually more common among animals, such as wolves, dogs, owls, eagles, cats, pigeons and fish.

Amber eyes are often mistaken for hazel, but amber eyes have more pigment than hazel eyes, and the color is more evenly distributed in the iris. They also may have higher levels of a melanin variant called lipochrome, which appears gold or orange tinted.

What are the Most Common Eye Colors?

Brown Eyes

Brown is the most common eye color among people around the world. About 45% of Americans and as many as 79% of people worldwide have brown eyes.

Brown eyes vary in color from light chestnut and light golden brown to a color that’s dark enough to appear black. No one actually has black eyes. But very dark brown irises can almost blend in with the pupil, making the eyes look black.

Due to the high level of melanin, people with brown eyes may have extra protection against cataracts and the sun’s damaging UV rays.

Another interesting fact about brown eyes is that most babies have brown eyes when they’re born — not blue as many people believe. A Newborn Eye Screening Test found that 63% of newborn babies were born with brown eyes, and only 21% were born with blue eyes.

Blue Eyes

Approximately 27% of Americans have blue eyes. They’re much more rare in other regions, as only about 9% of people around the world have blue eyes.

Fun fact: Everyone with blue eyes is related. Researchers have found that about 10,000 years ago, a person was born in Europe with a genetic mutation that turned off that gene’s ability to produce brown eyes and instead resulted in blue eyes. This was the first person with blue eyes, and everyone who has blue eyes today is a descendant of this human.

Blue eyes have the least amount of melanin (even less than green eyes). This can pose some risks. People with light eyes are more susceptible to sun damage from exposure to UV rays, so it’s important to always wear sunglasses when going outside. They are also at a higher risk of developing ocular uveal melanoma, a rare eye cancer.

What Determines Eye Color?

Your eye color is determined by genetics and melanin.

Genetics

In the past, it was widely thought that eye color was chiefly hereditary. So, if your parents had brown eyes, you would too.

Scientists also believed that kids inherited only one eye-color gene from their parents. They now know that as many as 16 genes are involved. That’s why parents with brown eyes can have a blue-eyed child, for example.

Melanin

Melanin is responsible for eye, skin and hair color. Parents pass down genes that affect how much melanin their children will have. When it comes to the eyes, the more melanin someone has in their iris — the colored part of the eye surrounding the pupil — the darker their eyes will be.

Where You Live Can Influence Your Eye Color

Brown is considered the original eye color because it’s the eye color early humans had hundreds of thousands of years ago in what is now Africa. Today, most people in Africa and Asia, and many in the Middle East, have brown eyes.

Another reason these populations have brown eyes is because high levels of melanin help protect eyes, skin and hair from damaged cause by harsh sun exposure. People in those hotter climates need that extra protective pigment.

Blue eyes are more common in Europe, especially in northern Europe. In Finland and Sweden, between 80% and 90% of the population has blue eyes. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, more than 50% of people have blue eyes. In the U.S., the majority of people with blue eyes have Scandinavian, British, Irish and Eastern European backgrounds.

Whatever your eye color, your eyes are beautiful and uniquely YOU… whether they’re considered among the “rarest” or otherwise. Love your eyes, and take care of them. They’re the only eyes you’ve got.