Hair loss statistics of men around the world

Androgenetic Alopecia or AGA is the most common cause of baldness in men. Commonly known as male pattern baldness, androgenetic alopecia can also affect females (known as female pattern baldness), but it is less prevalent in females.

The leading cause behind male pattern baldness is hormonal imbalances. The hormones responsible for this type of hair loss are called androgens or male sex hormones. An excess of one of these hormones, dihydrotestosterone or DHT, is the primary culprit in this process.

Another crucial factor that can make you more susceptible to male pattern baldness is a positive family history of this condition. Genetics is believed to play a vital role in androgenetic alopecia. As genetics formulate the basis of different ethnicities, it can be theorized that the prevalence of male pattern baldness is different in the residents of different regions or countries.

In this article, we will try to encompass what percentage of men are affected by this condition in different regions and see how these numbers vary.

Hair Loss Stats Around the Globe

Caucasians are known to have the highest percentage of hair loss compared to other ethnic groups like Asians and Americans. It is reported that 50% of Caucasian men develop AGA as the cross 40. The prevalence and severity of AGA are relatively lower in Asian, Native American, and African American men (Hoffmann, 2000).

Following seven countries are estimated to have the highest incidence of baldness:

Czech Republic

with a prevalence of approximately 43%, the Czech Republic tops this list.

Spain

Spanish men also suffer significantly from male pattern baldness. It is estimated that about 42% of Spanish men are either bald or balding.

Germany

Germany comes third in this list. 41.24% of German men are either bald or are facing hair thinning.

France

France is the fourth country with the highest percentage of bald men. Male pattern baldness has affected 39.24% of French men.

United Kingdom (UK)

The UK is only slightly behind France when it comes to the number of bald men in a country. The incidence of male pattern baldness in the UK is 39.23%

United States of America (USA)

A substantial number of American men are the victim of male pattern baldness. With a percentage of 39.04%, the USA is among the top countries with male pattern baldness issues.

Italy:

About 39% of Italian men have male pattern baldness.

The incidence of baldness is not only affected by the region or ethnicity but also greatly influenced by age. The rate of hair fall increases significantly with each passing decade. This is true for men belonging to all regions. While talking about the number of men affected by male pattern baldness, it is crucial to bring the age factor into consideration as the percentage of baldness varies significantly in relation to the particular age group.

Let us see the stats for male pattern baldness or AGA in different regions and how these stats are affected by age.

Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia in European Men

European men are known to be most affected by AGA. According to one study, as many as 80% of European men are facing male pattern baldness (Hamilton, 1951).

According to an extensive study conducted on 26,340 Caucasian men aged 30 to 40 showed that 15.33% of Caucasian men have severe AGA. The AGA incidence was higher in men in their late 30s than in their early 30s. The percentage of young men affected by AGA differed for different regions (Avital, 2015).

According to a 2017 study, about 67.1% of Turkish men are affected by male pattern baldness. The same study showed that 23.9% of Turkish women were also a victim of AGA. The prevalence of hair loss in Turkish men and women is similar to Caucasians but higher than in Asians and Africans (Bas, 2015). The prevalence of AGA showed a positive association with advancing age in both genders (Salman, 2017).

Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia in American Men

16.2% of young American men aged 18 to 29 are affected by male pattern baldness. This percentage was increased to 48.9% for men aged between 30 and 39. This percentage was further raised to 53.6% for men between 40 and 49. These stats were gathered from men located in Dayton, Ohio, USA (Rhodes, 1998).

Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia in Asian Men

The incidence of male pattern baldness in Asian men is significantly lower than the European men. Hair loss starts early in men belonging to these countries, and the prevalence of baldness increases with each passing decade.

According to one study, the prevalence of AGA is 1.4-fold lower in each decade of life in Japanese men compared to European men. The incidence of AGA is even lower in Japanese men below 40 years (Takashima, 1981).

In Korean men, the prevalence of AGA was found to be 14.1%. The incidence of AGA increases for Korean men with the advancing age. Just like in Japanese men, the prevalence of AGA in Korean men was found to be lower than the Caucasian men (J H Paik, 2001).

The prevalence of AGA in Taiwanese men is the same as in Korean men, and a strong relationship was found between male pattern baldness and smoking in this population (Su LH, 2007).

19.9% of Chinese men suffer from male pattern baldness. The prevalence of AGA is lower in Chinese men compared to White men, but as Chinese men reach the age of seventy, these numbers are significantly increased. The most common hair loss type in this population is crown baldness (Xu F, 2009).

The prevalence of AGA is significantly higher in Singaporean men. According to one study, about 63% of men are the victim of AGA (Tang PH, 2000).

According to a survey conducted in India, 58% of men aged 30-50 had AGA. AGA was found to be more prevalent in older men (Shankar, 2009).

The incidence of male pattern baldness was reported to be 38.52% in Thai men. Due to uncertain reasons, the incidence of male pattern baldness seems to rise with the advancing age of Thai men (Pathomvanich, 2002).

Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia in Norwegian Men

According to one study conducted in Norway, 63% of men reported having a mild case of hair loss. Twenty-seven percent of the participants reported their hair loss to fall in the moderate to severe category (DeMuro-Mercon C, 2000).

Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia in Australian Men

Like the other countries, the prevalence of male pattern baldness increases in Australian men with advancing age. According to one study conducted on men 20 years and older, 98.6% of men reported hairline recession at the temporal region and crown baldness. Mid-frontal hair loss increased with age and was reported in 73.5% of men who were 80 years or older (Desmond, 2004).

Prevalence of Androgenetic Alopecia in African Men

According to a 2021 study, the overall prevalence of AGA in Nigeria is 29.95%. Of this 29.95%, 24.88% are men, while women account for only 5.06%. Most of these people exhibited a mixed-baldness pattern (Oiwoh, 2021).

Another study reported that around 14% of South African men suffer from AGA. While about 3% of females are also affected by this condition (Bansod, 2022).

Conclusion

In light of the above-mentioned numbers, there seems to be a correlation between different regions and baldness. Although research indicates that some regions show more rates of baldness as compared to others, the data is limited to explaining the cause behind it.

Ethnicity is not the only factor affecting your hair loss. Your hair health is also dependent on how you take care of them. Nutrition and hair care are important to give your hair a long life.

Preventing and stopping baldness is not as impossible as it was once considered. While the stats might be alarming for a few countries, fortunately, several effective hair loss treatments are available. If you suspect your hair is thinning, consult your dermatologist as soon as possible, as early baldness detection is vital for its treatment.