This Is the Rarest Hair and Eye Colour Combination in Humans

You may be special, but not this special.

Woman with red hair and blue eye colourPhoto: Shutterstock

Do You Have This Hair and Eye Colour Combo?

Your parents are liars. When they told you as a kid that you were entirely unique and also had the rarest possible hair and eye colour combination in humans, they were misleading you. Green eyes are uncommon, sure, but your deep ash blonde hair doesn’t quite make the cut in terms of rare genetics. (Here are six foods that improve your eyesight.)

The title of rarest hair colour/eye colour combination belongs to red haired folks with blue eyes. According to Medical Daily, both the blue eye trait and the red hair trait are recessive, so their likelihood of simultaneous appearance is pretty slim. Just ask anyone who’s pieced together a Punnett Square. (Discover 13 home remedies for dry and damaged hair.)

Red hair alone occurs with a frequency of one to two per cent of the human population, while blue eyes occur in approximately 17 per cent of the human population. Technically, that would mean 0.17 per cent (or about 13 million people) of the world’s population have red hair and blue eyes. But since several factors play into the likelihood of that combination, that math is difficult to confirm. Either way, the combo is the rarest on the planet, and if you happen to have a red-hair, blue-eyed pal, don’t forget to share the fun fact.

Interested in some more facts about redheadsLook no further!

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Originally Published on Reader's Digest