This translates to approximately 64 million people with hazel eyes around the world.Ībout 18 percent of people in the United States have hazel-colored eyes. How Common Are Hazel Eyes?Īccording to World Atlas, hazel eyes are a rare color, estimated to be in only 5 percent of the global population. This is caused by a phenomenon called Rayleigh scattering, the same optical effect that causes the sky to appear blue. In hazel eyes, the inner part of the eye sometimes appears lighter, and sometimes, it is the outer portion of the iris that appears lighter. Hazel eyes are the result of a moderate amount of pigment, less than brown but more than blue. While people with the least melanin have blue, gray, or green eyes. People who have the most melanin have brown eyes. Melanin is a naturally occurring pigment that influences the color of your eyes, skin, and hair. The color of the eye is related to the amount of melanin you have in your body. If you are born with hazel eyes, you are among 5 percent of the world population to have this desirable coloration. Hazel eyes are rare, and this may contribute to why so many people want to achieve this attractive color. It may contain flecks or flickers of other colors, which cause the iris to feature shades of blue, amber, green, or even orange. Like the color of the hazelnut, this color is unique and variable. Hazel-colored eyes are often described as light brown, greenish-brown, golden, and hazel.

Dark hazel eyes