<P> Blond hair can have almost any proportion of pheomelanin and eumelanin , but has only small amounts of both . More pheomelanin creates a more golden or strawberry blond color , and more eumelanin creates an ash or sandy blond color . Many children born with blond hair develop darker hair as they age , with the majority of natural blonds developing a hair color of a dark blond hue by the time they reach middle age . Pregnancy hormones hasten this process . Natural light blond hair is rare in adulthood , with claims of the world 's population ranging from 2 % naturally blond to 16 % in the US . Blond hair is most commonly found in Northern and Western Europeans and their descendants but can be found spread around most of Europe . Studies in 2012 showed that naturally blond hair of Melanesians is caused by a recessive mutation in tyrosinase - related protein 1 ( TYRP1 ) . In the Solomon Islands , 26 % of the population carry the gene ; however , it is absent outside of Oceania . </P>
what percentage of the population is naturally blonde
2 %