Approximately 1-60% of the world's population has curly hair. The wide range reflects variations in how "curly hair" is defined, as well as differences across ethnicities and geographic locations.
While there isn't a precise global statistic on the exact percentage of people with curly hair, understanding the factors that contribute to its prevalence helps provide context.
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Genetic Variation: Hair texture, including curliness, is determined by genetics. Different populations have varying frequencies of the genes that influence hair follicle shape and protein production, leading to differences in hair types.
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Defining "Curly Hair": The definition of curly hair can vary. Some may consider wavy hair as curly, while others reserve the term for tighter curl patterns. This subjectivity impacts estimated prevalence rates.
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Hair Shrinkage: The perceived length of curly hair can be significantly shorter than its actual length due to shrinkage. Wavy hair can shrink up to 5%, curly hair up to 30% and coily hair up to 75% of true length.
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Multiple Textures: An individual can have multiple hair textures on their head, making categorization challenging.
Therefore, while exact figures are elusive, it's safe to say that curly hair is less common than straight or wavy hair globally, though not exceptionally rare, with prevalence estimates spanning a substantial range.
