Certain races have higher rates of hair loss compared to others. Caucasians have the highest rates out of all the ethnic groups. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Native American Indians, Inuits, and Chinese have the lowest rates.
According to World Population Review, an independent organization that analyzes different issues worldwide, people of Caucasian descent are more likely to suffer from male pattern baldness, compared to other ethnicities. For this reason, the highest rates of androgenic alopecia are found in Europe and North America.
You're less likely to experience male pattern baldness if you're of Chinese or Japanese descent. Male pattern baldness doesn't typically affect Native American, First Nations and Alaska Native peoples. You're more likely to have male pattern baldness if you have a family history of it.
There are racial differences, however, in the incidence of male pattern baldness. The highest rates are found among Caucasians, followed by Afro-Caribbeans. Chinese and Japanese men have the lowest rates. For some unknown reason, this form of hair loss is does not occur among Native Americans.
China has traditionally had some of the world's lowest rates of baldness, though changes to people's lifestyles are contributing to an increase in hair loss.
According to anthropologist and professor Ashley Montagu in 1989, many East Asian people and African populations such as the San people are less hairy than Europeans and West Asian peoples. Montagu said that the hairless feature is a neotenous trait.
As shown in Fig 1, South Asians had greater odds for vertex balding but lower odds for temporal balding compared to White men. Chinese men were less likely than White men to experience balding in any pattern.
Asian hair and Caucasian hair handle stress and fatigue well. Asian hair has the highest hardness and elasticity. It is resistant to stretching and can withstand a traction force of 60 to 65 grams.
Black hair follicles have an elliptical shape that grow in a spiral and results in the slowest growth rate, at only about a third of an inch per month. It is also more fragile and prone to breakage. Asian hair follicles are round, usually very straight, and strong.
Being a blonde doesn't affect your potential to be affected by male or female pattern baldness. If you're experiencing any form of hair loss, the professionals at RHRLI are here to help. Our own Dr. Baiju Gohil is a board-certified hair transplant surgeon servicing the greater NYC with years of experience.
Hair Loss in Your 30s and Beyond
By the time you turn 30, you have a 25% chance of displaying some balding. By age 50, 50% of men have at least some noticeable hair loss. By age 60, about two-thirds are either bald or have a balding pattern.
Caucasians have the highest hair density. This can help explain – to some extent – why Caucasians lose more hair as they tend to have thicker hair and, thus, more hair to lose.
The short answer is that genes inherited from both sides of your family affect your chances of going bald. While we often hear that a man's chance of going bald is inherited from the maternal side, that's only partially true. The estimates vary, but about 60-70% of balding risk can be explained by someone's genetics1.
Since men are constantly producing testosterone throughout their lives, they are also constantly making DHT, and so it makes them more likely to lose their hair than women, who do not have a similar genetic disposition to hair loss.
Caucasian hair grows at a rate of about 1.2cm a month and has the greatest density of all three hair types. Blondes have about 146,000 hairs on their heads, black-haired beauties about 110,000 hairs, brunettes 100,000 hairs and redheads roughly 86,000 hairs.
Type 1A is the rarest hair type and is stick-straight without even a hint of a wave.
Caucasian hair is generally straight or wavy and is the thinnest, while its cross-section is relatively elliptic. As for African hair, it is very curly, its thickness is intermediate and the shape of cross-section is highly elliptic.
Background: Black haircare is an estimated $2.51-billion-dollar industry. Black women spend 9 times more on ethnic hair products than non-Black consumers.
Certain races have higher rates of hair loss compared to others. Caucasians have the highest rates out of all the ethnic groups. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Native American Indians, Inuits, and Chinese have the lowest rates. Let's dive in deeper.
The average diameter, or thickness, of Asian hair is from 80 to 120 µm, compared to 65 µm in Caucasian hair and 55 µm in Black hair. The average diameter of Hispanic/Latino hair tends to fall between that of Asian and Caucasian. Caucasians have the highest hair density among the ethnicities studied.
Skin barrier function is reportedly stronger in darker skin tones (the stratum corneum is the skin barrier). Asian skin is reported to have similarities with Caucasian skin in terms of water loss and has the weakest barrier function.
Caucasians Lose The Most Hair
After Caucasians, people of Afro-Caribbean heritage tended to experience the next highest levels of hair loss, with Asian men having the lowest hair loss rates.
Genetic and hormonal factors are to blame, particularly sensitivity to dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
A 2022 study found that Black men were four times more likely to have little or no balding. However, male pattern baldness can and does affect Black men, just at lower rates than white men.