The countries with the highest number of bald men have been revealed, with both the US and UK in the top 10.
Figures compiled by World Population Review, based on data from Vantage Hair Clinic, revealed the 21 most bald countries, many of which had large white populations, a group that tends to lose their hair faster than other races.
Researchers found that men in the Czech Republic had the smoothest heads, with more than 40 percent of the adult male population suffering from hair loss.
The UK is the fifth most bald country, with 39.2 percent of men experiencing some degree of hair loss, while the US ranks eighth with 38 percent.
Researchers found that men in the Czech Republic had the smoothest heads, with more than 40 percent bald
Male-pattern hair loss occurs when excessive amounts of the sex hormone dihydrotestosterone are produced, which disrupts the hair growth cycle
According to the American Hair Loss Association (AHLA), 95 percent of hair loss in men is caused by androgenetic alopecia, also known as male pattern baldness.
This is a hereditary trait that gives men a receding hairline and thinning crown. It is caused by a genetic susceptibility to a by-product in testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
Hair follicles sensitive to DHT shrink over time, shortening the life of each hair until the follicles stop producing hair altogether.
The chance of going bald increases with age. That’s because as men age, testosterone is converted to DHT, so those who are sensitive to it tend to eventually lose their hair.
According to the AHLA, 85 percent of men will have significantly thinning hair by age 50, and 25 percent will go bald before they are 21.
Some research suggests that white men are more likely to become bald than other races.
In addition, a review from 2019 in the magazine Dermatology and therapy suggested that deficiencies in vitamins B12 and D, biotin, riboflavin and iron may be responsible for stunting hair growth.
In all 21 countries analyzed, at least a quarter of the adult male population was noticeably bald or completely bald.
It is unclear what the age limit was in the data.
In the Czech Republic, with a baldness rate of 42.8 percent, the vast majority of the population is white, making them more likely to lose their hair.
Diet can also be a factor. Czech cuisine is heavy on thick soups and stews, meat dishes and starches, as well as beer. These foods are significantly less likely to contain large amounts of vitamins and minerals necessary for hair growth.
A 2018 review in the journal Nutrients found that 95 percent of the population surveyed in the Czech Republic was vitamin D deficient.
The UK is the fifth most bald country, with 39.2 percent of men experiencing hair loss.
As in the Czech Republic, race can be a factor. Census data from 2021 showed that 82 percent of the population in England and Wales is white.
This is according to a study published earlier this year by vital found that 60 per cent of Britons have low levels of vitamin D and one in five are deficient. And one in 10 Britons over the age of 75 is deficient in vitamin B12, another essential nutrient for hair growth.
This is because the UK, like the Czech Republic, has a meat-and-potato diet, which could leave Britons lacking certain nutrients.
For example, a study conducted last year found that nine in ten British teenagers don’t eat enough vegetables, which are high in vitamins B12 and D.
Meanwhile, the US came in eighth place in the ranking.
The US is another predominantly white nation — 75 percent of Americans identified as “white only” in the latest census data — with several nutrient deficiencies.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), 42 percent of Americans are vitamin D deficient.
In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), only one in 10 American adults gets the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.
New Zealand rounded out the bottom of the list, with about 29 percent of men having bald heads.
While New Zealand is also predominantly white, the country has a large Maori population, an indigenous Polynesian group, who are less likely to go bald than white men.
The average age of men in New Zealand is 36, slightly younger than the US (37) and the UK (40), which could contribute to the lower baldness rates.