Iron overload and hereditary hemochromatosis have not been as extensively studied in non-Caucasian racial/ethnic groups as they have in Caucasians. The toxicity of excess iron in non-Caucasians appears to be similar to that in Caucasians, but the prevalence of iron overload is unknown and while a genetic contribution to that overload is suspected it has not been proven in all groups. It has long been assumed that iron storage disease in populations of sub-Saharan Africa is due to increased iron absorption from beer brewed in iron pots, but more recent information suggests there is also a hereditary component to that accumulation of iron. However, iron overload among Africans does not appear to be due to HFE abnormalities, nor to other genes in the HLA region at all. Primary iron overload has been reported in African Americans but it remains to be determined whether or not this is linked to HFE or other genetic factors. Iron overload has been reported in Asian populations, but the frequency and genetic contributions (if any) are not known. In some studies where HFE variants have been found in non-Caucasians, additional genetic testing has suggested that Caucasian admixture may have been involved. Hispanic-Americans appear to have a frequency of iron overload similar to non-Hispanic Caucasians, although further study of the genetic and environmental correlates is warranted. There has been almost no study of iron overload and hereditary hemochromatosis in Native American populations.