37 Hair Color Statistics

Red, blonde, black, and pink are just some of the hair colors you may pump into outside. But what do hair color statistics tell us about our natural shades and the desire to change them?

Hair Color Statistics

  1. An estimated 75% to 85% of the world’s population have black hair, making it the common hair color. (World Atlas)
  2. While dark brown and black hair is almost the only natural hair color found in Africa and Asia, only 7.5% of the US population has it. (Holleewoodhair)
  3. 11% of the world’s population has light brown hair. (TUKO)
  4. Only around 3% of the world’s population has natural blonde hair. (Hairsentry)
  5. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland have the highest rates of people with blonde hair. (Eupedia)
  6. Natural blondes have more hair strands on their head than other hair colors. (Theradome)
  7. Red hair is the rarest hair color in the world, with only about 1%-2% of the population rocking this shade naturally. (BBC)
  8. Scotland has the highest population of redheads, with around 13% of the population rocking this hair color. (BBC)
  9. Grey hair is not actually a hair color but a lack of pigment in the hair, with hair turning grey when pigment cells in the hair follicle don’t work correctly. (Harvard Health)
  10. Genetics can account for 30% of premature loss of hair pigmentation, with 70% being due to environmental exposure. (National Library of Medicine)
  11. Melanin is the central aspect determining hair color, and there are two types of melanin: eumelanin and pheomelanin. (Wikipedia)
  12. The Fischer-Saller Scale is the international standard used to classify natural human hair color into 24 shades. (Research Gate)

Color It Up

  1. 3 in 4 caucasian women dye their hair blonde at some point in their lives. (You Probably Need a Haircut)
  2. In the 1950s, only around 7% of American women dyed their hair. (Elle)
  3. Chinese women dye their hair 1.9 times per year, while in Western countries, it is 5. (China Daily)
  4. In a German study, 10% of men and 60% of women said they color their hair every year. (FactMR)
  5. Hair coloring and hair dyes go all the way back to the Greeks and Romans. (Byrdie)
  6. Women choose to dye their hair blonde more than any other hair color globally. (All Things Hair)
  7. In 2017, the UK’s most favorite hair colors were blonde (42%), brown (36%), and non-natural colors, such as pastels (25%). (Statista)
  8. The most popular colors among Chinese females are brown, red, and purple. (China Daily)
  9. Natural hair colors accounted for over 3/5 of overall hair color demand in 2020. (FactMR)
  10. In one survey, 37% of Chinese said black is the ideal color for women, and 63% believed it to be the best hair color for men. (Statista)
  11. 18% of Brits thought blonde was the perfect hair color for women, and 19% said brown for men. (Statista)
  12. In a survey of 16-24-year-old men, 46% said they dyed their hair in 2019 compared to 38% of men in 2018. (Mintel)
  13. 19% of men say they take inspiration from celebrities and social media personalities (Mintel)
  14. LG H&H said it sold 200,000 units of shampoo that can conceal grey hairs within three weeks of its release in South Korea. (LG H&H)
  15. Blond hair dying costs around 3 times more than dark hair. (All Things Hair)

The Hair Color Industry

  1. In 2020, the global hair dye industry generated about $21.4 billion. (Statista)
  2. The global hair color industry is expected to reach $36.1 billion by 2027. (ResearchAndMarkets.com)
  3. Hair dye sales increased at 2.6% CAGR between 2016 and 2020. (FactMR)
  4. Europe is expected to contribute 30% towards the global hair color market growth. (Technavio)
  5. China is quickly becoming an important market for hair color products, and it’s expected to grow by a CAGR of 9.9% from 2020 to 2027. (ResearchAndMarkets.com)
  6. The men’s hair color market is expected to grow faster at 7.54% CAGR, reaching $522.84 million by 2030. (Market Research Future)
  7. Bleachers and semi-permanent colorants are the most popular products in Asia. (Mordor Intelligence)
  8. Hair color services are the second-largest service in the hair industry, after haircuts, making up around 17% of the hair & nail salon industry’s revenue. (Holleewoodhair)
  9. L’Oreal Paris has 38% of the world’s hair coloring market share. (Statista)
  10. The top men’s hair coloring brand in the US is Combe. (Statista)

Photo of author

Author - Nia Jones

Nia has been passionate about hair since she was young. Always trying out the latest styles and trying to imitate her musical icons. She studied hairdressing directly after leaving school, spending 2 years at college learning from the best hairdressers in her region. After spending 6 further years learning her trade in different salons across the country, she went on to finally live her dream of opening her own. Today she specializes in the latest African American styles and trends, serving her local community.