Countries with the Most Green Eyes 2025

When people think about common eye colors, they usually think about brown and blue—which are admittedly the top two most common eye colors in the world and are particularly prevalent in certain regions. Some people have hazel eyes, but there are not a lot of people who have green eyes. Indeed, it has been estimated that only two percent of people in the world are born with green eyes. Green eyes usually result from a genetic mutation that leads to a loss of melanin. Melanin is responsible for skin color, eye color, and numerous other colors throughout the body. People with green eyes still have more color than people with blue eyes, but they have significantly less color than most others. Therefore, green eyes are among the most unusual eye colors in the world.

Which Countries Have the Highest Rates of Green Eyes?

Given that green eyes are genetic, it makes sense that people with green eyes will be clustered in a small area of the world. Generally, people with green eyes are found in northern Europe. The two countries with the highest rates of people with green eyes are Ireland and Scotland. More than 75 percent of people who are born with green eyes can be found in Ireland and Scotland. There are also some other countries in northern Europe where green eyes might be relatively common, but they are still significantly less common than people who are born with brown eyes, blue eyes, and other eye colors.

Why Are People Born With Green Eyes?

Green eyes can be found in all races of people. It has been estimated that more than 16 genes contribute to eye color. Therefore, it is very difficult for all of these factors to come together to cause someone to be born with green eyes. It is possible that if you have parents who have green eyes, you may have a higher chance of having green eyes yourself; however, this is not necessarily the case. It has been documented that people of all races can have green eyes, but they are simply more common in northern Europe.

Do People Outside of Europe Have Green Eyes?

Yes, there are some people outside of Northern Europe who have green eyes. Strangely enough, a specific village in China has been identified as a hotspot for people with green eyes. The village is called Liqian, and a significant amount of research has been done in this area to figure out why people who live there can be born with green eyes. It has been estimated that approximately two-thirds of everyone who lives there is born with green eyes and blonde hair. This is a highly unusual combination, but it is thought that people who live in this village have ancestors who also had those trays. Many people believe that the individuals who live in this village are descended from an ancient missing army from the days of the Roman Empire. It may be difficult to prove that, but that is one hypothesis that could contribute to genetic diversity of the region.