Curly hair appears in virtually every human population, but the frequency varies dramatically. People of African descent have the highest rates of curly and coily hair, with about 95% displaying curly textures in their natural state. European populations are mostly wavy (47%) or straight (41%), with roughly 13% having curly hair. East and West Asian populations show a similar split, with about 12% curly hair. The reality is that hair texture exists on a wide spectrum, and genetics, not simple racial categories, determine where any individual falls on it.
African and Afro-Descendant Hair
Tightly coiled and curly hair is the dominant texture among people of sub-Saharan African descent. In one genotyping study, 94.9% of African-origin participants had curly hair, with the remaining 5.1% having wavy hair. None were classified as having straight hair. This texture ranges from loose curls to very tight coils and zigzag patterns, often categorized as type 3 or type 4 in the widely used hair typing system created by stylist Andre Walker. Within those broad categories, there’s enormous variety: type 3 hair forms defined spirals and ringlets, while type 4 textures include dense coils that may appear to shrink significantly when dry.
People of African descent in the diaspora, including African Americans, Afro-Caribbeans, and Afro-Latinos, carry this same genetic predisposition. In a U.S.-based trichoscopic study, participants of African descent reported their natural hair textures as curly, coiled, and kinky. The structural basis for this tight curl pattern comes from how cells are arranged inside each hair strand. The inner core of a hair fiber contains two types of cell groups, and the way these groups separate along the strand creates bending. When that separation shifts position along the fiber, especially in a strand that isn’t perfectly round, complex curl and coil patterns emerge.
European and Middle Eastern Hair
Curly hair is a minority texture in European populations, but it’s far from rare. Among Europeans, roughly 47% have wavy hair, 41% have straight hair, and about 13% have curly hair. The distribution shifts depending on region. Southern Europeans, particularly those from Mediterranean countries like Greece, Italy, and Spain, tend to have higher rates of wavy and curly textures compared to Northern and Eastern Europeans, where straight hair is more common.
Middle Eastern and North African populations also display a wide range of hair textures, from straight to tightly curled. These populations share genetic overlap with both European and African groups, which contributes to the diversity. Jewish populations of various origins, particularly Ashkenazi and Mizrahi communities, are often noted for high rates of curly hair, though formal prevalence data is limited.
At the genetic level, a variant of the TCHH gene plays a stronger role in producing straight hair among Europeans than it does in East Asians, even though both groups carry it. Another gene, RPTN, also appears to promote straight hair formation in both European and East Asian populations. The implication is that curly-haired Europeans may lack certain straightening gene variants rather than carrying specific “curl genes.”
Hispanic and Latino Populations
Latino and Hispanic populations are among the most texturally diverse in the world, reflecting mixed European, Indigenous American, and African ancestry. In a U.S. study of 99 people of Hispanic descent, 36% reported curly hair and 34% reported wavy hair in its natural state. That means roughly 70% had some degree of wave or curl, a higher combined rate than in European-only populations.
This variation is not uniform across Latin America. Individuals with more African ancestry, common in Caribbean nations like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and coastal regions of Colombia and Brazil, tend toward curlier and coilier textures. Those with predominantly Indigenous or European ancestry, more common in Mexico and Central America, lean toward straight or wavy hair. The result is that “Hispanic hair” as a single category is almost meaningless. The range spans nearly the entire human spectrum of hair textures.
East Asian and Southeast Asian Hair
East Asian populations, including Chinese, Japanese, and Korean people, are strongly associated with straight, thick hair, and for good reason. A variant of the EDAR gene produces round, coarse hair fibers that grow from enlarged follicles. This variant is widespread in East Asian populations and is one of the strongest known genetic influences on hair shape. Combined with the TCHH gene, it pushes hair firmly toward straight textures.
Still, curly hair exists in these populations at low but measurable rates. One study found about 12% of Asian participants (combining East and West Asian groups) had curly hair, with 41% wavy. Southeast Asian populations, particularly in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia, show somewhat more textural diversity than their East Asian counterparts, likely due to historical genetic mixing with Melanesian and South Asian groups.
South Asian Hair
Published data on South Asian hair is surprisingly sparse, but the general pattern is that straight hair predominates across the Indian subcontinent, with wavy hair being more commonly observed among South Indians. Curly hair does occur, particularly in southern and eastern regions of India and in Sri Lanka, but it is not the majority texture.
South Asia’s enormous genetic diversity, spanning populations from the Himalayas to the tropical south, means there is no single “South Asian hair type.” Tribal and Adivasi populations in India sometimes display curlier textures, and coastal populations with historical links to African or Southeast Asian groups add further variation.
Melanesian and Oceanian Hair
One of the most striking examples of curly hair outside of Africa appears in Melanesian populations, the indigenous peoples of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. Melanesians often have tightly curled or frizzy hair that can look superficially similar to African hair textures, but it evolved independently through entirely different genetic pathways.
Research on Solomon Islanders revealed that their famous blond hair (which occurs at high rates alongside dark skin) is caused by a single mutation in the TYRP1 gene. This mutation is found at a frequency of 26% in the Solomon Islands but is completely absent outside of Oceania. It has no genetic connection to blond hair in Europeans. While this specific finding relates to hair color, it illustrates the broader principle: Melanesian hair genetics followed a unique evolutionary track. The curly texture in these populations is not inherited from African ancestors but arose separately, likely in response to similar environmental pressures.
Why Curly Hair Evolved
The leading theory for why tightly curled hair became dominant in equatorial African populations centers on thermoregulation. A 2023 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that tightly curled hair provides the most effective protection against solar radiation hitting the scalp, while minimizing the amount of sweat needed to stay cool.
The mechanism is straightforward: curly hair doesn’t lie flat. It creates an air gap between the hair surface and the scalp, which acts as insulation against the sun’s heat. Even though a scalp covered in tightly curled hair can evaporate less sweat than one with straight hair, the overall heat reaching the scalp is so much lower that less sweating is needed in the first place. For early humans living on the African savanna, who had lost most of their body hair and had large, heat-sensitive brains to protect, this was a significant survival advantage.
Straight hair, by contrast, may have been advantageous in colder climates by lying flat against the head and trapping warmth. The EDAR gene variant that produces thick, straight hair in East Asian populations is thought to have been positively selected for during the last ice age, though it may have been favored for multiple traits simultaneously, since the same gene also affects sweat glands and tooth shape.
Genetics Are More Complex Than Race
Hair texture is controlled by dozens of genes, not one or two. Researchers have identified at least 12 genes associated with hair shape, including TCHH, EDAR, WNT10A, FRAS1, and PRSS53, among others. Each contributes a small effect, and the combination determines your texture. Two siblings with the same parents can have noticeably different curl patterns.
Racial categories are rough proxies for ancestry, and ancestry is what actually matters for hair genetics. A person who identifies as Black may have enough European ancestry to have loose waves. A person who identifies as white may carry gene variants that produce tight curls. The population-level statistics are real, with 95% of African-descent individuals having curly hair versus 13% of Europeans, but they describe averages, not rules. Your hair texture is the product of your specific combination of gene variants, inherited from ancestors who may have come from very different parts of the world.