unilad homepage
unilad homepage
    • News
      • UK News
      • US News
      • World News
      • Crime
      • Health
      • Money
      • Sport
      • Travel
    • Music
    • Technology
    • Film and TV
      • News
      • DC Comics
      • Disney
      • Marvel
      • Netflix
    • Celebrity
    • Politics
    • Advertise
    • Terms
    • Privacy & Cookies
    • LADbible Group
    • LADbible
    • SPORTbible
    • GAMINGbible
    • Tyla
    • UNILAD Tech
    • FOODbible
    • License Our Content
    • About Us & Contact
    • Jobs
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • Topics A-Z
    • Authors
    Facebook
    Instagram
    X
    Threads
    TikTok
    YouTube
    Submit Your Content
    Scientists reveal there's a new rarest eye color that only 1% of the population has

    Home> News> World News

    Published 16:28 3 Jul 2024 GMT+1

    Scientists reveal there's a new rarest eye color that only 1% of the population has

    While some eye colours are more common, others can be very rare indeed and only occur in a small number of people

    Kit Roberts

    Kit Roberts

    google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
    Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images

    Topics: News, World News, Science

    Kit Roberts
    Kit Roberts

    Kit joined UNILAD in 2023 as a community journalist. They have previously worked for StokeonTrentLive, the Daily Mirror, and the Daily Star.

    Advert

    Advert

    Advert

    Scientist claim to have defined a new eye colour which they say is the rarest one in humans.

    Most of us will be familiar with the four main eye colours out there; brown, blue, hazel, and green.

    For many years, green eyes ruled the roost as the rarest of all the eye colours - with around 2 percent of people in the world having this eye color - and could lord it over those with blue eyes and brown eyes, with hazel eyes in a close second.

    Advert

    But it seems that a new power is now gathering in the world of eye colour, as scientists have designated another colour as the rarest.

    So, like a slightly different version of House of the Dragon, the Greens find themselves going up against a usurper who wants to claim the top spot for their own faction.

    Except unlike on the hit HBO show, the challengers are not the Blacks, but the Greys.

    Also there are no dragons, though that's probably for the best.

    Green eyes used to be the rarest. (Elena Fedorina / Getty)
    Green eyes used to be the rarest. (Elena Fedorina / Getty)

    Yes, scientists have now claimed that rarest eye colour of them all is no longer green, but grey.

    This was not previously possible as grey was previously a part of House Blue, but scientists have now recalibrated their definitions and made grey a whole separate colour of its own.

    If I was someone with green eyes, I'd frankly be feeling a little miffed that a change in the rules meant green eyes weren't the rarest anymore.

    But, as someone with brown eyes, I feel a bit like a peasant watching two lords feuding.

    So just how common are the different eye colours?

    Well, internationally brown is very much the most common by a long way, making up between 55 percent and 79 percent of the world population, according to VeryWell Health.

    Grey eyes are now considered the least common. (Jonathan Knowles / Getty)
    Grey eyes are now considered the least common. (Jonathan Knowles / Getty)

    Blue comes in next, weighing in at between 8 percent and 10 percent, around the same as hazel which comes in at 10 percent globally, and can also be traced to one common ancestor.

    However, blue is more common in the US, where it makes up 27 percent while hazel is 18 percent.

    Finally, we have grey, the defecting colour from blue.

    This makes up less than 1 percent of both the US population and the global population as a whole.

    Grey and blue eyes are often mixed up as both have a low amount of melanin and absorb longer wavelengths of light.

    Eye colour is actually just the colour of the iris, and is an inherited trait.

    A number of gene affect the colour and shade of someone's eyes, with the combination producing a unique pigment.

    Choose your content:

    an hour ago
    4 hours ago
    • Jack Neel Podcast
      an hour ago

      Expert reveals why women are reporting highest levels of unhappiness than ever before

      Women are more educated, financially independent and free than they have ever been - why are so many unhappy?

      News
    • ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty Images
      an hour ago

      Pope Leo gets backlash for backing soccer team that is not US in World Cup

      The American pope has backed another nation's team in the upcoming FIFA World Cup, but some have branded his words a betrayal

      News
    • X/Partrick Oyulu
      4 hours ago

      United Airlines flight carrying 221 passengers hits truck and light pole while landing at Newark airport

      An investigation into the crash is pending, with all airline crew 'removed from service'

      News
    • Getty Stock Images
      4 hours ago

      What is Hantavirus as three cruise ship passengers die in suspected outbreak onboard

      Three others are reported ill after allegedly contracting the virus onboard

      News
    • Scientists reveal there's a rare eye color that only 1% of the population has
    • Scientists reveal new eye test that could predict dementia decades early
    • Scientists reveal 36 names least likely to get a job with some shocking results
    • Scientists discover mysterious inscription on ancient tomb that could reveal Count Dracula's final resting place